The number of people on the Live Register in the Midlands has fallen by more than 2,407 over the past year, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.
Figures released last week indicate that there were a total of 25,956 people on the Live Register in the Midlands region during March 2016 - a significant decrease from 28,363 in the same month in 2015.
The figure for March also represents a drop of 238 from the previous month, when 26,194 were on the Live Register in the Midlands.
Males outnumbered females by almost three to two, with 15,030 males and 10,926 females making up the total number.
The vast majority of those on the Live Register in the Midlands - some 22,322 - are aged 25 years and over, while the remaining 3,634 are aged under 25.
The Midlands region takes in Westmeath, Offaly, Longford, and Laois.
There was a similar trend nationally, with a drop of 33,076 over the past year from 348,676 in March 2015 to 315,600 in March this year. This represents an annual decrease of 9.5 per cent.
