As of the first quarter of 2026 the Labour Force Survey (LFS) NACE Rev. 2.1 has been adopted as the primary classification of industrial sectors for use in LFS outputs. Estimates for NACE Rev. 2.0 will continue to be published on PxStat. A supplementary information note on these changes is being made available in conjunction with this publication. For more information on the new classification, visit our NACE - Classification of Economic Activities webpage.
Following a review of the population benchmarks used in the Labour Force Survey releases for Q3 and Q4 2025, issues were identified in the processing and compilation of the demography benchmarks. The revised data are now available in the tables on PxStat.
The number of persons aged 15-89 years in the labour force increased by 18,000 or 0.6% to 2,936,300 persons in the 12 months to Q1 2026. The annual change of 0.6% is the lowest annual increase in five years.
The employment rate for people aged 15-64 years was 73.3% in Quarter 1 2026, down from 74.7% in Q1 2025.
The number of people aged 15-89 years in employment rose by 400 to 2,794,500 people, while no percentage change was recorded from Q1 2025.
There were 141,800 unemployed people aged 15-74 years in Q1 2026 using International Labour Organisation (ILO) criteria, with an associated unemployment rate of 4.9%, up from 4.3% in Q1 2025.
The estimated labour market participation rate in Q1 2026 was 65.0%, down from 65.8% in Q1 2025.
The estimated total number of hours worked per week in Q1 2026 was 86.3 million hours, a decrease of 0.2 million hours or 0.2% when compared with Q1 2025.
The headline table shows the numbers and rates for employed and unemployed people. It also shows those working in the labour force and those not in the labour force. It highlights the annual change to Q1 2026.
| Table 1.1 Labour Force Survey Summary Results | ||
| Indicator | Q1 2026 | Annual change 1 |
| Employed persons aged 15-89 years | 2,794,500 | +0.4 |
| Employment rate for those aged 15-64 years | 73.3% | -1.4 pp |
| Unemployed persons aged 15-74 years | 141,800 | +17,600 |
| Unemployment rate for those aged 15-74 years | 4.9% | +0.6pp |
| In labour force | 2,936,300 | +18,000 |
| Not in labour force | 1,579,100 | +62,700 |
| 1 pp refers to percentage point change | ||
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a continuous household survey carried out by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and is the official source for employment and unemployment estimates in Ireland.
The official labour market classification of respondents to the LFS is based on International Labour Organisation (ILO) concepts and definitions.
All European Union (EU) Member States are legally obliged to carry out a Labour Force Survey and to provide these data to Eurostat on a quarterly basis, as set out in the Integration of European Social Statistics (IESS) framework regulation (EU 2019/1700) and Implementing Regulation (EU 2019/2240), which apply from 01 January 2021.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (21 May 2026) published results from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for Quarter 1 2026.
Commenting on today’s release, Colin Hanley, Statistician in the Labour Market & Earnings Division, said: “The estimated number of people in employment in Q1 2026 stood at 2,794,500, while no percentage change was recorded when compared with Q1 2025.
Employment
The number of people in employment in the 12 months to Q1 2026 increased by 400 people compared with a year earlier, with no percentage change recorded over this period.
An estimated 561,500 or 20.1% of those in employment worked part-time, and 133,700 or 23.8% of those in part-time employment were classified as underemployed (i.e. they would like to work more hours for more pay).
In the 12 months to Q1 2026 the age group with the highest employment rate was the 45-54 years age group (85.4%), which was up 0.4 percentage points from the 85.0% recorded a year previously. The lowest employment rate by age was observed in the 15-19-year-old group at 22.2%.
The largest increase in employment by economic sector was in Construction (F), which rose by 20,500 people (+11.7%). The largest decrease in employment was in Information & Communication, down by 20,300 people (-10.7%).
Employment Status
The estimated number of employees was 2,394,000 in Q1 2026, a decline of 24,400 or 1.0% compared with Q1 2025. The estimated number of self-employed was 379,000 in Q1 2026, an increase of 25,900 or 7.3% compared with Q1 2025.
Extent of Working from Home
The number of people who work from home fell by 44,800, or 4.3% to 990,100 in Q1 2026, compared with Q1 2025. At the same time, those that never worked from home rose by 46,600, or 2.7% to 1,796,200 exceeding the pre-pandemic level for the first time.
Hours Worked
The estimated total number of hours worked in Q1 2026 was 86.3 million hours per week, which was 0.2 million less hours worked per week when compared with Q1 2025.
The year-on-year change in hours worked varied across the different economic sectors. The Transport & Storage (H) and Construction (F) sectors saw an additional 700,000 hours worked when compared with Q1 2025. The largest sectoral decreases in hours worked were in Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities (N) (-800,000 hours) and the Information & Communication sector (J-K), which was down 700,000 hours in the year to Q1 2026.
Unemployment
The number of people aged 15-74 years who were unemployed in Q1 2026 stood at 141,800, with an associated Unemployment Rate of 4.9%.
There were 41,300 people in long-term unemployment (unemployed for 12 months or longer) in Q1 2026, 15,500 more people than in Q1 2025. The corresponding rate of long-term unemployment was 1.4%, up from 0.9% a year earlier.”
Survey Participation
Commenting on the importance of sampled individuals taking part in the LFS, Colin Hanley added: “Sampled households receive introductory letters by post asking them to take part in the Labour Force Survey. A person from a participating household completes the interview either by telephone or by a CSO interviewer visiting the household.
Household surveys give us a picture of the economic and social situation of the citizens of Ireland with a level of accuracy that no one else can gain. If you are asked to take part in a CSO survey, please do so. We count on you to take part in our surveys, and you can count on us to provide accurate statistics that reflect our society.”