Two-year low in numbers signing on

The number of people signing on in Westmeath last month was the lowest in almost two years.

According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), there were 9,959 people signing on in Westmeath on September 30, a decrease of 846 from the figure at the end of August and the lowest since November 2011.

The Athlone area office (3972, -487) recorded the biggest drop, followed by Mullingar (4833, -288) and Castlepollard (1154, -71).

The biggest decrease occurred among females over the age of 25 (3278, -389), while there was also a significant drop in the number of over 25 miles signing on (4949, -315). The number of under 25s signing on also decreased (1732, -142).