Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The January live register will show an increase, as it has done every year for the past ten years. The headline total will be 436,900, reflecting five weeks activity. The month on month increase will be 13,300 or 3.1% and the year on year increase will be 110,600 or 33.9%. The year on year increase has fallen again in January, having declined from the peak of 194,700 reported in June 2009. The month on month increase is almost two thirds less than the 36,300 increase reported for January 2009, which also reflected five weeks activity. However, the figure for January 2010 is still the second highest January increase on record. The standardised unemployment rate for January is expected to be 12.7%, up from 12.5% in December 2009. When seasonal factors are taken into account the live register for January is estimated at 434,700. This is a month on month increase of 8,000 or 1.9% since January 2009 and a year on year increase of 110,000 or 34% since January 2009. As the Deputy will be aware, the live register does not refer simply to the level of unemployment. The number of unemployed who are drawing five days a week is 279,000.

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