This is a slight increase from the December figure of 5,157. The figures revealed by the CSO today show that live register figures in the county have shot up from 4,315 in January 2009.

The statistics show a serious gender imbalance with 3,638 men out of work compared to 1,660 women in the county. The figures also show that in proportion to its population (34,000), Longford has one of the highest number of people on the live register, compared to other counties in the region.

Leitrim has the smallest month on month increase, recording a .1% increase with just 35 more people signing on the live register in January than in December. The January figure in Leitrim was 3,635. However this was a marked increase on the January 2009 figure of 2,831.

Interestingly in Co Roscommon, the live register figure was only slightly higher than Leitrim even though the population of Roscommon is double that of Leitrim: 58,000 to 29,000. Co Roscommon's live register statistics for January 2010 is 3,945 compared to 3,093 in January 2009.

Looking at Co Cavan, a county with a slightly higher population to Roscommon (64,000), there were 7,352 people signing on the live register, an increase of 1,556 people since January 2009. In Co Westmeath, the live register figure stands at 10,330 in January 2010, an increase of 2,293 since January 2009.