The unemployment rate in the Republic of Ireland was 4.7 percent in August 2025, compared with 4.8 percent in the previous month. Between 2000 and 2007, Ireland's unemployment rate was broadly stable, fluctuating between 3.9 and 5.4 percent. Following the global financial crisis, however, Ireland's unemployment rate increased dramatically, eventually peaking at 16.1 percent in early 2012. For the next eight years, unemployment gradually fell, eventually reaching pre-crisis levels in the late 2010s. This was, however, followed by an uptick in unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which peaked at 7.6 percent in March 2021, before falling to pre-pandemic levels by February 2022. Risk and rewards of the Irish economic model After being quite hard hit by the global financial crisis of 2008, Ireland staged a strong recovery in the mid-2010s, and was frequently the EU's fastest growing economy between 2014 and 2022. This growth, was however, fueled in part by multinational companies, such as Apple, basing their European operations in the country. As of 2022, an adjusted measure of gross national income valued Ireland's economy at around 273 billion Euros, rather than the 506 billion Euros GDP figure. Ireland's close economic relationship with American tech companies also leaves it vulnerable to the political weather in the United States. It is currently unclear, for example, what the recent return to power of Donald Trump as President in early 2025 could mean for the Irish economy going forward. Ireland's labor market As of the third quarter of 2024, there were approximately 2.79 million people employed in the Republic of Ireland. Of these workers, 379,200 people worked in Ireland's human health and social work sector, the most of any industry at that time. Other sectors with high employment levels include wholesale and retail trade, at 323,500 people, and education, at 228,200 people. While unemployment still remains quite low, some indicators suggest a moderate loosening of the labor market. Job vacancies, are slightly down from their peak of 35,300 in Q2 2022, amounting to 28,900 in Q3 2024, while youth unemployment has begun to tick upwards, and was 11.9 percent in January 2025.

Unemployment Rate in Ireland decreased to 5 percent in October from 5.10 percent in September of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Ireland Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Ireland Unemployment Rate: Female: Age 60 to 64 data was reported at 5.100 % in Mar 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.400 % for Dec 2017. Ireland Unemployment Rate: Female: Age 60 to 64 data is updated quarterly, averaging 3.700 % from Mar 1998 (Median) to Mar 2018, with 81 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.100 % in Mar 2013 and a record low of 0.900 % in Sep 2004. Ireland Unemployment Rate: Female: Age 60 to 64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Statistics Office of Ireland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.G015: Unemployment Rate: Labour Force Survey.

In 2024, the unemployment rate in Ireland was 4.37 percent. Between 1991 and 2024, the figure dropped by 11.4 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

This feature layer represents Sustainable Development Goal indicator 8.5.2 'Unemployment Rate' for Ireland. The layer was created using data produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) as part of the CSO's Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2018 Q4 and NUTS 3 (2016) boundary data produced by Tailte Éireann (more info). The LFS uses the International Labour Organisation definition for unemployment.

In 2015 UN countries adopted a set of 17 goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to help achieve the goals set out in the agenda by 2030. Governments are committed to establishing national frameworks for the achievement of the 17 Goals and to review progress using accessible quality data. With these goals in mind the CSO and Tailte Éireann are working together to link geography and statistics to produce indicators that help communicate and monitor Ireland’s performance in relation to achieving the 17 sustainable development goals.The indicator displayed supports the efforts to achieve goal number 8 which aims to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Ireland Unemployment Rate: Age 15 to 19 data was reported at 18.900 % in Dec 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 24.400 % for Sep 2018. Ireland Unemployment Rate: Age 15 to 19 data is updated quarterly, averaging 17.600 % from Mar 1998 (Median) to Dec 2018, with 84 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 48.700 % in Jun 2012 and a record low of 8.300 % in Mar 2001. Ireland Unemployment Rate: Age 15 to 19 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Statistics Office of Ireland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.G015: Unemployment Rate: Labour Force Survey.

Ireland Population: Age 15 and Over: sa: Unemployment Rate data was reported at 5.800 % in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.900 % for Mar 2018. Ireland Population: Age 15 and Over: sa: Unemployment Rate data is updated quarterly, averaging 6.500 % from Mar 1998 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 82 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15.900 % in Mar 2012 and a record low of 4.000 % in Jun 2001. Ireland Population: Age 15 and Over: sa: Unemployment Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Statistics Office of Ireland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.G002: Population: by Economic Status: Labour Force Survey.

The statistic shows the unemployment rate in the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2024. The UK's unemployment rate decreased to 4.11 percent in 2024. Unemployment and the economy of the United Kingdom The global financial crisis of 2008 left many nations with high inflation and increasing unemployment rates. The United Kingdom, however, has attempted and successfully lowered the unemployment rate since 2009. The UK is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Council of Europe, the G7, the G8, the G20, NATO, and World Trade Organization. It is therefore one of the biggest and most important economic powers in the world. It consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in 2014, the UK population amounted to over 64 million people. The same year, it reported the sixth largest gross domestic product in the world, reaching more than 2.8 billion U.S. dollars - and with a prospering economy, its GDP is on the upswing: It is estimated that the GDP in the United Kingdom will grow by approximately 3 percent in 2015 in comparison to the previous year. Regarding unemployment, the UK has never been "typically European". Europe's unemployment rate has been relatively high in comparison to other world regions; the unemployment rate in developed countries and the European Union in 2014 was around 7.8 percent. Meanwhile, the global unemployment rate in 2014 was an estimated 5.9 percent. Despite reporting the third highest unemployment rate in major industrial and emerging countries, behind France and India, the unemployment rate in the United Kingdom is much lower than the European Union rate.

Background
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a unique source of information using international definitions of employment and unemployment and economic inactivity, together with a wide range of related topics such as occupation, training, hours of work and personal characteristics of household members aged 16 years and over. It is used to inform social, economic and employment policy. The LFS was first conducted biennially from 1973-1983. Between 1984 and 1991 the survey was carried out annually and consisted of a quarterly survey conducted throughout the year and a 'boost' survey in the spring quarter (data were then collected seasonally). From 1992 quarterly data were made available, with a quarterly sample size approximately equivalent to that of the previous annual data. The survey then became known as the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS). From December 1994, data gathering for Northern Ireland moved to a full quarterly cycle to match the rest of the country, so the QLFS then covered the whole of the UK (though some additional annual Northern Ireland LFS datasets are also held at the UK Data Archive). Further information on the background to the QLFS may be found in the documentation.

Household datasets
Up to 2015, the LFS household datasets were produced twice a year (April-June and October-December) from the corresponding quarter's individual-level data. From January 2015 onwards, they are now produced each quarter alongside the main QLFS. The household datasets include all the usual variables found in the individual-level datasets, with the exception of those relating to income, and are intended to facilitate the analysis of the economic activity patterns of whole households. It is recommended that the existing individual-level LFS datasets continue to be used for any analysis at individual level, and that the LFS household datasets be used for analysis involving household or family-level data. From January 2011, a pseudonymised household identifier variable (HSERIALP) is also included in the main quarterly LFS dataset instead.

Change to coding of missing values for household series
From 1996-2013, all missing values in the household datasets were set to one '-10' category instead of the separate '-8' and '-9' categories. For that period, the ONS introduced a new imputation process for the LFS household datasets and it was necessary to code the missing values into one new combined category ('-10'), to avoid over-complication. This was also in line with the Annual Population Survey household series of the time. The change was applied to the back series during 2010 to ensure continuity for analytical purposes. From 2013 onwards, the -8 and -9 categories have been reinstated.

LFS Documentation
The documentation available from the Archive to accompany LFS datasets largely consists of the latest version of each volume alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned. However, LFS volumes are updated periodically by ONS, so users are advised to check the ONS LFS User Guidance page before commencing analysis.

Additional data derived from the QLFS
The Archive also holds further QLFS series: End User Licence (EUL) quarterly datasets; Secure Access datasets (see below); two-quarter and five-quarter longitudinal datasets; quarterly, annual and ad hoc module datasets compiled for Eurostat; and some additional annual Northern Ireland datasets.

End User Licence and Secure Access QLFS Household datasets
Users should note that there are two discrete versions of the QLFS household datasets. One is available under the standard End User Licence (EUL) agreement, and the other is a Secure Access version. Secure Access household datasets for the QLFS are available from 2009 onwards, and include additional, detailed variables not included in the standard EUL versions. Extra variables that typically can be found in the Secure Access versions but not in the EUL versions relate to: geography; date of birth, including day; education and training; household and family characteristics; employment; unemployment and job hunting; accidents at work and work-related health problems; nationality, national identity and country of birth; occurrence of learning difficulty or disability; and benefits. For full details of variables included, see data dictionary documentation. The Secure Access version (see SN 7674) has more restrictive access conditions than those made available under the standard EUL. Prospective users will need to gain ONS Accredited Researcher status, complete an extra application form and demonstrate to the data owners exactly why they need access to the additional variables. Users are strongly advised to first obtain the standard EUL version of the data to see if they are sufficient for their research requirements.

Changes to variables in QLFS Household EUL datasets
In order to further protect respondent confidentiality, ONS have made some changes to variables available in the EUL datasets. From July-September 2015 onwards, 4-digit industry class is available for main job only, meaning that 3-digit industry group is the most detailed level available for second and last job.

Review of imputation methods for LFS Household data - changes to missing values
A review of the imputation methods used in LFS Household and Family analysis resulted in a change from the January-March 2015 quarter onwards. It was no longer considered appropriate to impute any personal characteristic variables (e.g. religion, ethnicity, country of birth, nationality, national identity, etc.) using the LFS donor imputation method. This method is primarily focused to ensure the 'economic status' of all individuals within a household is known, allowing analysis of the combined economic status of households. This means that from 2015 larger amounts of missing values ('-8'/-9') will be present in the data for these personal characteristic variables than before. Therefore if users need to carry out any time series analysis of households/families which also includes personal characteristic variables covering this time period, then it is advised to filter off 'ioutcome=3' cases from all periods to remove this inconsistent treatment of non-responders.

Occupation data for 2021 and 2022 data files

The ONS has identified an issue with the collection of some occupational data in 2021 and 2022 data files in a number of their surveys. While they estimate any impacts will be small overall, this will affect the accuracy of the breakdowns of some detailed (four-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)) occupations, and data derived from them. Further information can be found in the ONS article published on 11 July 2023: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/revisionofmiscodedoccupationaldataintheonslabourforcesurveyuk/january2021toseptember2022" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Revision of miscoded occupational data in the ONS Labour Force Survey, UK: January 2021 to September 2022.

Latest edition:
For the second edition (August 2019) the 2018 weighting variable was added to the study.

Among European Union countries in July 2025, Spain had the highest unemployment rate at 10.4 percent, followed by Finland at 10 percent. By contrast, Malta has the lowest unemployment rate in Europe, at 2.6 percent. The overall rate of unemployment in the European Union was 5.9 percent in the same month - a historical low-point for unemployment in the EU, which had been at over 10 percent for much of the 2010s.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

Background
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a unique source of information using international definitions of employment and unemployment and economic inactivity, together with a wide range of related topics such as occupation, training, hours of work and personal characteristics of household members aged 16 years and over. It is used to inform social, economic and employment policy. The Annual Population Survey, also held at the UK Data Archive, is derived from the LFS.

The LFS was first conducted biennially from 1973-1983, then annually between 1984 and 1991, comprising a quarterly survey conducted throughout the year and a 'boost' survey in the spring quarter. From 1992 it moved to a quarterly cycle with a sample size approximately equivalent to that of the previous annual data. Northern Ireland was also included in the survey from December 1994. Further information on the background to the QLFS may be found in the documentation.

The UK Data Service also holds a Secure Access version of the QLFS (see below); household datasets; two-quarter and five-quarter longitudinal datasets; LFS datasets compiled for Eurostat; and some additional annual Northern Ireland datasets.

LFS Documentation
The documentation available from the Archive to accompany LFS datasets largely consists of the latest version of each user guide volume alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned (the latest questionnaire available covers July-September 2022). Volumes are updated periodically, so users are advised to check the latest documents on the ONS Labour Force Survey - User Guidance pages before commencing analysis. This is especially important for users of older QLFS studies, where information and guidance in the user guide documents may have changed over time.

LFS response to COVID-19

From April 2020 to May 2022, additional non-calendar quarter LFS microdata were made available to cover the pandemic period. The first additional microdata to be released covered February to April 2020 and the final non-calendar dataset covered March-May 2022. Publication then returned to calendar quarters only. Within the additional non-calendar COVID-19 quarters, pseudonymised variables Casenop and Hserialp may contain a significant number of missing cases (set as -9). These variables may not be available in full for the additional COVID-19 datasets until the next standard calendar quarter is produced. The income weight variable, PIWT, is not available in the non-calendar quarters, although the person weight (PWT) is included. Please consult the documentation for full details.

Occupation data for 2021 and 2022 data files

The ONS has identified an issue with the collection of some occupational data in 2021 and 2022 data files in a number of their surveys. While they estimate any impacts will be small overall, this will affect the accuracy of the breakdowns of some detailed (four-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)) occupations, and data derived from them. Further information can be found in the ONS article published on 11 July 2023: Revision of miscoded occupational data in the ONS Labour Force Survey, UK: January 2021 to September 2022.

2024 Reweighting

In February 2024, reweighted person-level data from July-September 2022 onwards were released. Up to July-September 2023, only the person weight was updated (PWT23); the income weight remains at 2022 (PIWT22). The 2023 income weight (PIWT23) was included from the October-December 2023 quarter. Users are encouraged to read the ONS methodological note of 5 February, Impact of reweighting on Labour Force Survey key indicators: 2024, which includes important information on the 2024 reweighting exercise.

End User Licence and Secure Access QLFS data

Two versions of the QLFS are available from UKDS. One is available under the standard End User Licence (EUL) agreement, and the other is a Secure Access version. The EUL version includes country and Government Office Region geography, 3-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) and 3-digit industry group for main, second and last job...

United Kingdom Unemployment Rate: sa: Northern Ireland data was reported at 3.761 % in May 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.147 % for Feb 2018. United Kingdom Unemployment Rate: sa: Northern Ireland data is updated quarterly, averaging 6.600 % from May 1992 (Median) to May 2018, with 105 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.800 % in May 1993 and a record low of 3.147 % in Feb 2018. United Kingdom Unemployment Rate: sa: Northern Ireland data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.G033: Unemployment Rate: By Region: Seasonally Adjusted.

This dataset provides values for UNEMPLOYMENT RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Ireland Unemployment Rate: Male: Age 55 to 59 data was reported at 5.800 % in Mar 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.500 % for Dec 2017. Ireland Unemployment Rate: Male: Age 55 to 59 data is updated quarterly, averaging 5.100 % from Mar 1998 (Median) to Mar 2018, with 81 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.900 % in Sep 2012 and a record low of 2.200 % in Sep 2002. Ireland Unemployment Rate: Male: Age 55 to 59 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Statistics Office of Ireland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ireland – Table IE.G015: Unemployment Rate: Labour Force Survey.

The latest National Statistics on forestry produced by the Forestry Commission were released on 27 September 2018 according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

Detailed statistics are published in the web publication Forestry Statistics 2018, with an extract in Forestry Facts & Figures 2018. They include UK statistics on woodland area, planting, timber, trade, climate change, environment, recreation, employment and finance & prices as well as some statistics on international forestry. Where possible, figures are also provided for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

This dataset covers statistics on employment in forestry and wood processing, health and safety and businesses.

This statistic shows the (SMEs) employment by size band in Ireland from as of **********. From the responding SMEs, ** percent had only *** employee.

Ireland - Gender employment gap: Towns and suburbs was 9.80% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Ireland - Gender employment gap: Towns and suburbs - last updated from the EUROSTAT on October of 2025. Historically, Ireland - Gender employment gap: Towns and suburbs reached a record high of 13.30% in December of 2018 and a record low of 8.50% in December of 2023.

This statistic shows the revenue of employment placement agencies in Ireland from 2008 to 2012, with a projection until 2018. In 2010, revenues of employment placement agencies in Ireland amounted to approximately 858 million U.S. dollars.