Dundalk sees rise in numbers signing on

There was a slight rise in the number of people signing on the Live Register in Dundalk, and in Louth in total in January, according to the latest figures released by the Central Statistics Office.

3,215 people signed on in Dundalk in January, up 23 on the 3,192 in December. In Ardee, 676 people signed on in January, this is down 42 however on the 718 who signed on in the town in December 2024. In Drogheda, 3,113 people signed on in January, up 87 on the 3,026 who signed on in December 2024.

The number of people who signed on in Louth in January 2025 is still 498 lower however, than the 7,502 who signed on in the county on January 2024. This could relate to the fact that people arriving in Ireland from Ukraine under the EU's Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) who accessed Department of Social Protection supports were processed as Jobseeker's Allowance claims. From 9 September 2024 beneficiaries of the EU’s TPD living in Designated Accommodation Centres no longer qualify for Jobseeker’s Allowance and thus are no longer enumerated on the Live Register. 

Looking at the figures nationally, the seasonally adjusted Live Register total for January 2025 was 165,400 people, down by 600 people or 0.4% from December 2024. The unadjusted Live Register total stood at 165,235 people for January 2025, of which 56.0% were male and 71.5% were Irish.

The 25-34 years age group made up the largest number of those on the Live Register in January 2025 at 38,858 people or 23.5% of the total. In January 2025 there were 108,373 people on the Live Register for less than one year, which was 6,380 fewer people (-5.6%) than January 2024.