The number of people claiming some form of unemployment benefit in Clare has fallen to its lowest level in a decade.
The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show there were just over 3,300 people on the Live Register in the county in September, representing a 46% drop on the same month in 2016.
The number of people signing on at one of Clare’s four Social Welfare Offices almost halved last month, compared with the same month ten years ago.
There were 3,361 people on the Live Register in September, down from 6,277 in the same month in 2016.
According to the latest CSO figures, the vast majority were in the greater Ennis area, where 1,855 people were claiming an unemployment payment, down from 2,053 in August.
Outside of the county town, West Clare had the highest number of claimants, with 555 on the register, followed by North Clare with 511.
East Clare recorded the fewest number of claimants, with 440 people signing on.
The numbers are at their lowest September level in a decade in three of the four Social Welfare Offices.
North Clare is the exception, recording one more person on the Live Register than in the same month in 2025.
Despite the overall fall, the CSO figures show the number of young people claiming unemployment benefit is on the rise, however.
There were 427 people under the age of 25 signing on last month, the third consecutive September in which that figure has risen.
