The number of people signing on the Live Register fell by 2,300 to 344,900 in June, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the live register recorded a total monthly decrease of 1,800 men signing on, while the number of women signing on fell by 500.

In unadjusted terms there were 356,520 people signing on the Live Register in June, which represents an annual decrease of 42,293 (10.6 per cent).

In broader terms, the number of male claimants decreased by 31,283 (12.9 per cent) to 211,414 in the year to June, while female claimants decreased by 11,010 (7.1 per cent) to 145,106.

The number of long term claimants, which now stands at 166,488, has seen an annual decrease of 22,370.

The figures reveal that the number of male long term claimants decreased by 15.3 per cent in the year to June 2015, while women long term claimants reduced by 4.8 per cent.

There were 69,465 casual and part-time workers on the Live Register in June, which represents almost 20 per cent of the total Live Register.

In the year to June, the number of people aged 25 and over on the Live Register decreased by 30,342 (9 per cent), and the number of people aged under 25 decreased by 11,951 (19.4 per cent).

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (Isme) drew attention to the high numbers of long-term unemployed who are currently on the Live Register, noting long-term claimants account for 46.7 per cent of the total,

“Of the 166,488 who are long-term unemployed, 90,376 have been on the live register for three years or more. This is worryingly high number and must be addressed,” Isme chief executive Mark Fielding said.

He said the government must provide activation measures and re-skilling opportunities in key areas of need so that potential future skills shortages are avoided.

Separate figures released earlier this week showed that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June stood at 9.7 per cent.