The number of people on the dole queue in County Sligo has dropped by 16%, or just over 800, in the past five years.
The Live Register figures for December, just published last week, shows a total of 4,599 people in the county claiming various forms of unemployment assistance.
That compares to a figure of 5,404 in December, 2010, the year in which unemployment figures were at their highest.
In July of that year there were just 65 people short of 6,000 signing on in Sligo.
But since 2010 there has been a steady decline in the numbers each year.
In 2011, the December figure was down to 5,239, the following year it had dropped to 5,108 and last year it was 4,942, which means a further decrease of 343 in the month just gone.
Each month last year showed a drop in numbers on the same month in 2013.
A full breakdown of the figures can be found in this week’s Sligo Weekender- out now.
