The number of people signing on the live register in Clare has dropped below 6,000 for the first time since the summer of 2008.
August saw a significant drop in the number of people signing on, as Clare FM’s Ben Sweeney reports:
There are currently 5,873 people claiming some form of unemployment benefit in Clare, levels last seen over nine years ago.
In the last month, 254 people left the dole queues with the biggest drop coming in Ennis.
There, 160 people signed off, along with 42 others in the East of the county, 34 in North Clare and 18 in West Clare.
Live register figures are also down by over 15% when compared with the same time last year.
While the joblessness indicator is approaching levels last seen before the economic crash, there still could be some room for improvement as countywide dole queue figures were down to as low as 3,600 as recently as 2006.