The number of people out of work in Ireland declined slightly during April this year, official figures show.

According to the latest employment report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the standardized jobless rate stood at 14.6 per cent last month.

The total fell by 0.1 points from 14.7 per cent recorded in March, as the number of people signing the live register of those out of work fell by 0.4 per cent (1,600 individuals).

Claimant figures rose over the year to April 2011 by 1.6 per cent, significantly below the 13.3 per cent annual climb recorded for the same month of the previous year.

The 12 months to April this year saw the number of casual and part-time workers on the live register grow, while the largest occupational group of claimants was in the craft and related skills sector.

Jobs in Ireland's construction sector are expected as a result of plans unveiled by the nation's transport, tourism and sport minister Leo Varadkar, who predicted investing millions of euros in repairing highways will generate employment, according to the Irish Times.

Posted by Alex Donnell