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Unemployment

Unemployment

Overall unemployment was 4.5% in Q3 2022, which is down from 5.7% in Q3 2021

Online ISSN: 2565-5728
CSO statistical publication, , 11am

Numbers Unemployed and the Unemployment Rate

The number of persons aged 15-74 years who were unemployed decreased by 30,000 (-20.1%) to 119,100 in the year to Q3 2022, using standard International Labour Organisation (ILO) criteria. The unadjusted unemployment rate for persons aged 15-74 years decreased from 5.7% to 4.5% over the year to Q3 2022. See Table 2.1.

Figure 3.1 Number of unemployed persons aged 15-74 years, Quarter 3 2018 to Quarter 3 2022

Unemployment by sex

Unemployment decreased by 19,200 (-24.4%) for males to 59,400 in the year to Q3 2022 – this compares with a fall of 10,800 (-15.3%) to 59,700 for females over the same period. The unemployment rate for males was 4.2% in Q3 2022 down from 5.7% a year earlier while the corresponding rates for females were 4.8% and 5.8% respectively.

The unemployment volume for males of 59,400 is the lowest since Q4 2006, and the male unemployment rate of 4.2% is the lowest since Q4 2005. See Tables 2.1 and 3.1.

Figure 3.2 Unemployment rate for those aged 15-74 years by sex, Quarter 3 1998 to Quarter 3 2022
Table 3.1 Persons aged 15 - 89 years classified by ILO Economic Status and Age Group

Youth Unemployment Rate

The unemployment rate for those aged 15-24 years, known as the Youth Unemployment Rate, stood at 12.0% in Q3 2022 down from 12.1% in Q3 2021. See Table 2.2.

Figure 3.3 Unemployment rates for persons aged 15-24 years and 25-74 years, Quarter 3 1998 to Quarter 3 2022

Duration of Unemployment

Just under three quarters (72.8%)* of unemployed persons in Q3 2022 were in short-term unemployment (less than one year). Over the year to Q3 2022, short-term unemployment fell by 13,500 (-14.4%) to 80,800 while there was a fall of 14,900 (-33.1%) in the numbers of long-term unemployed to 30,200. See Table 3.2.

*excluding ‘Not stated’ 

 

Figure 3.4 Number of unemployed persons aged 15-74 years classified by sex and unemployment duration, Quarter 3 2018 to Quarter 3 2022

The long-term unemployment rate decreased from 1.7% in Q3 2021 to 1.1% in Q3 2022. Just over a quarter (27.2%)* of unemployed persons were in long-term unemployment in Q3 2022 which is down from 32.3%* a year earlier.  See Table 3.2.

*excluding ‘Not stated’

Figure 3.5 Long-term unemployment rate for persons aged 15-74 years, Quarter 3 1998 to Quarter 3 2022
Table 3.2 Persons aged 15-74 years classified by sex and duration of unemployment (ILO)

Unemployment by Region

On an annual basis, unemployment decreased in all eight NUTS 3 regions with the exception of the Border region.

The largest decrease occurred in the Dublin region (-9,000) followed by the Mid-East region (-7,600). Unemployment in the Border region increased by 3,900. See Table 2.5.