There was a 3.3% increase in the combined number of people on the Live Register or receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) in January, according to the Central Statistics Office.
The combined figure, which accounts for overlaps between Live Register and the PUP, stood 237,141 in January, up from 229,653 in December.
The PUP was reopened to those who lost their jobs from the reintroduction of certain Covid-related restrictions in December.
The numbers receiving the PUP rose from 66,901 in December to 75,413 in January. The numbers on the Live Register fell from a seasonally adjusted 166,900 in December to 164,000 in January.