Ireland Unemployment Rate Holds Steady at 5.0% in August

The Central Statistics Office reported that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 74 remained unchanged at 5.0% in August 2026. While the rate held steady from July, it represents a slight increase from the 4.9% recorded in August 2025.

The total number of unemployed persons fell to 147,100 from 148,300 in July, though this figure is 1,900 people higher than the previous year. Demographic breakdowns show the unemployment rate for men was 4.8% and for women was 5.1%. In raw numbers, unemployed males rose to 74,600, while unemployed females decreased to 72,500.

Youth unemployment for those aged 15 to 24 saw a slight decrease to 12.3% from 12.4% in July. Similarly, the unemployment rate for the 25 to 74 age bracket fell to 3.9% from 4.0%.