The Minister for Business and Employment, Gerald Nash TD, has warmly welcomed the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) which show that the number of people on the Live Register is continuing to fall.

There has been a 9% year-on-year decrease in the number of people on the Live Register, with the September 2014 headline figure now standing at 370,050.

He said: "This is further good news on the employment front and importantly shows that the trend of falling Live Register figures is continuing."

The overall unemployment rate now stands at 11.1%, down from the 2012 peak of 15.1%.

The Minister continued: "This is European Small and Medium Enterprise Week and as part of my remit I will be striving to ensure that SMEs, who are responsible for employing 70% of the workforce in our economy, will be given the support they need to start up and to grow.

"Every week SMEs are creating jobs in every community in Ireland, often without any fuss or headlines. They play a crucial part in continuing this trend of decreasing unemployment and giving people the dignity of work."

(CD/JP)