Vol. 520 No. 4
15 Mr. Broughan asked the Taoiseach his views on whether the live register is still an important labour force indicator; if he supports the continuing publication of the live register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15032/00]
The monthly live register figures show how many people are claiming unemployment assistance, unemployment benefit or signing for social welfare credits. At the end of May, there were 152,871 persons on the live register. The results are normally published within a week, making the live register a widely-used short-term indicator. The CSO's monthly releases contain a considerable amount of detail at local level, including breakdowns of the number of claimants by sex, age group and type of claimant.
However, the live register does not measure unemployment on a basis that is comparable over time or between countries. It is an administrative measure and the figures reflect people's benefit status as distinct from their labour force status. It includes many people who are not unemployed – for example, part-time workers who are entitled under the social welfare rules to sign on in respect of days when they do not have work.
