Unemployment in Ireland has sustained another blow, with the announcement that an additional 17,000 people have signed on the Live Register within the last month.

The latest figures, released by the Central Statistic Office, have tipped previous Live Register records.

More than 60,000 people have signed on in the last 12 months, an increase of over a third in the year.

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The worrying unemployment rises began in mid-2007, but have accelerated at a much faster rate during the last quarter of this year.

The dramatic downturn in the construction sector has been blamed for the escalating pace of job losses.

It is now becoming evident that this trend has spread to the wider economy.

Live Register figure for this month jumped by more than 17,000 from June. It is now estimated around 238,000 people sign on in Ireland.

July produced the second largest increased recorded by the CSO.

Over 19,000 signed on last month, the highest total in more than 10 years.

Seasonally adjusted figures for July have predicted the latest statistics illustrate a 10,600 rise, creating an actual Live Register total of 226,000.

(PR/JM)