DUBLIN (AFP) -- Ireland's unemployment rate held steady at 4.4 percent in July for the eighth month in a row after revisions to a number of previous months' data, official figures showed on Friday.

There was a monthly increase of 5,887 in the number of people signing on for benefits on the state's so-called Live Register in July, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said.

This brought the total signing on to 168,946.

The number signing on rose by 437 in July compared to the same month in 2005.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the number signing on dropped by 2,400 during the month.

On a 12-month basis the seasonally adjusted figure rose by 200, the CSO said.

The Live Register is not designed to be a fully accurate measure of unemployment however, as it includes part-time workers and casual staff entitled to benefits.