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Unemployment

LFS estimates were updated on 22nd Feb 2024 to incorporate updated population estimates for the period 2016 Q3 to 2023 Q3, based on the results of Census 2022. LFS results are updated in this way following each Census of Population. For further information see Background Notes.
The data in this publication does not reflect these updates. Please refer to the relevant tables on LFS Px-stat for updated LFS estimates.

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Numbers Unemployed and the Unemployment Rate

The number of persons aged 15-74 years who were unemployed decreased by 64,200 (-34.9%) to 119,900 in the year to Q2 2022, using standard International Labour Organisation (ILO) criteria. The unadjusted unemployment rate for persons aged 15-74 years decreased from 7.3% to 4.5% over the year to Q2 2022. See Table 9.1.

Figure 4.1 Number of unemployed persons aged 15-74 years, Quarter 2 2018 to Quarter 2 2022

Unemployment decreased by 36,300 (-36.5%) for males to 63,200 in the year to Q2 2022 compared with a fall of 27,900 (-33.0%) to 56,700 for females over the same period. The unemployment rate for males was 4.5% in Q2 2022 down from 7.4% a year earlier while the corresponding rates for females were 4.5% and 7.2% respectively. See Tables 9.1 and 9.7.

Figure 4.2 Number of unemployed persons aged 15-74 years classified by sex, Quarter 2 1998 to Quarter 2 2022

The unemployment rate for those aged 15-24 years, known as the Youth Unemployment Rate, stood at 11.4% in Q2 2022 down from 21.1% in Q2 2021. See Table 9.8.  

On an annual basis, unemployment decreased in all eight NUTS 3 regions with the largest decrease occurring in the Dublin region (-18,900) followed by the South-West region (-9,500). See Table 9.9.

Figure 4.3 Unemployment rate for those aged 15-74 years by sex, Quarter 2 1998 to Quarter 2 2022

Duration of Unemployment

Just under seven in ten (69.1%) of unemployed people in Q2 2022 were in short-term unemployment (less than one year). Over the year to Q2 2022, short-term unemployment fell by 42,500 (-33.9%) to 82,800 while there was a fall of 17,700 (-35.8%) in the numbers of long-term unemployed to 31,800.

Figure 4.4 Number of unemployed persons aged 15-74 years classified by sex and unemployment duration, Quarter 2 2018 to Quarter 2 2022

The long-term unemployment rate decreased from 2.0% in Q2 2021 to 1.2% in Q2 2022. Just over a quarter (26.5%) of unemployed persons were in long-term unemployment in Q2 2022 which is down from 26.9% a year earlier. See Table 9.6.

Figure 4.5 Long-term unemployment rate for persons aged 15-74 years, Quarter 2 1998 to Quarter 2 2022