The unemployment rate has fallen below 10% for the first time in seven years.
According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the unemployment rate now stands at 9.9% - the first time it has dropped under the 10% mark since 2008.
By the end of the first quarter this year, there were 212,800 people unemployed, down by 45,300 on the same period last year.
Meanwhile, employment figures were up with 1,929,500 people employed at the end of March.
There has also been a 3.6% increase in the number of people in full-time employment.
The number of females unemployed dropped to 77,100, an 18.5% decrease, while the number of men who were unemployed, 135,700, marked a drop of 17%.
