Ireland Jobless Rate Holds at 5%

Ireland’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.0% in August 2026, matching the rate in the previous month and slightly exceeding the 4.9% recorded a year earlier. The total number of unemployed people decreased by 1,200 from the previous month but increased by 1,900 from a year earlier, reaching 147,100. By gender, the unemployment rate for females edged down to 5.1% from 5.2% in July, with the number of unemployed women falling by 1,300 to 72,500. For males, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.8%, with the number of unemployed men inching up by 100 to 74,600. Meanwhile, youth unemployment among those aged 15–24 ticked down to 12.3% in August from 12.4% in July, while the rate for those aged 25–74 also dropped to 3.9% from 4.0%.

Ireland’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.1% in July 2026 from 5.0% in the previous month and was also slightly higher than the 5.0% recorded a year earlier, marking the highest reading since December 2021. The total number of unemployed people increased by 2,800 from the previous month and by 2,600 from a year earlier, reaching 149,900. By gender, the unemployment rate for females edged up to 5.3% from 5.2% in June, with the number of unemployed women rising by 1,800 to 74,300. For males, the jobless rate also ticked up to 4.9% from 4.8%, while the number of unemployed men increased by 1,100 to 75,600. Meanwhile, the youth unemployment rate (ages 15–24) climbed to 12.3% from 11.8% in June, while the rate for those aged 25–74 edged up to 4.1% from 4.0% over the last three months.

Ireland’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.0% in June 2026 from a revised 4.9% in the previous month and was up from 4.6% a year earlier, marking the highest rate since March. The total number of unemployed people increased by 3,100 to 145,100. By gender, the unemployment rate for females edged up to 5.4% from 5.3% in May, with the number of unemployed women increasing by 900 to 73,800. For males, the rate also ticked up to 4.6% from 4.5%, with unemployment rising by 2,200 to 71,200. Meanwhile, the youth unemployment rate (ages 15–24) rose to 10.8% from 9.9% in May, while for those aged 25–74, the rate stood at 4.2%.