The employment rate for people aged 15-64 years was 75.3% in Q3 2024, up 1.1 percentage points from 74.2% a year earlier.
The number of people aged 15-89 years in employment increased by 98,600 or 3.7% to 2,794,800 people in the 12 months to Q3 2024.
There were 129,500 unemployed people aged 15-74 years in Q3 2024 using International Labour Organisation (ILO) criteria, with an associated unemployment rate for those aged 15-74 years of 4.5%, down from 4.6% in Q3 2023.
The estimated Labour Force (i.e. the sum of all persons aged 15-89 years who were either employed or unemployed) stood at 2,924,400 in Q3 2024, a rise of 3.5% (98,200) from Q3 2023.
The estimated participation rate in Q3 2024 was 66.6%, up from 65.9% in Q3 2023. The female participation rate of 61.8% in Q3 2024 is the highest recorded since the series began.
The estimated total number of hours worked per week in Q3 2024 increased by 2.4 million hours or 2.9% on Q3 2023 figures to 85.9 million hours.
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 Q3 2024.
| Table 1.1 Labour Force Survey Summary Results | ||
| Indicator | Q3 2024 | Annual change 1 |
| Employed persons aged 15-89 years | 2,794,800 | +98,600 |
| Employment rate for those aged 15-64 years | 75.3% | +1.1 pp |
| Unemployed persons aged 15-74 years | 129,500 | -400 |
| Unemployment rate for those aged 15-74 years | 4.5% | -0.2 pp |
| In labour force | 2,924,400 | +98,200 |
| Not in labour force | 1,465,100 | +500 |
| 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 (20 November 2024) issued results from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for Quarter 3 2024.
Commenting on today’s release, Colin Hanley, Statistician in the Labour Market & Earnings Division, said: “The estimated number of people in employment in the third quarter of 2024 stood at 2,794,800, up 3.7% compared with a year ago.
Employment
The 3.7% increase in the number of people in employment in the 12 months to Q3 2024 was equivalent to 98,600 more people working than a year earlier.
An estimated 585,700 (21.0%) of those in employment worked part-time, and 127,500 (21.8%) 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 Q3 2024, those aged 35-44 years had the highest employment rate at 85.6%, down from the 84.2% recorded a year previously. The lowest employment rate by age was observed in the 15-19-year-old cohort at 30.8%. The largest annual increase in employment rate was observed in the 20-24-year-old group, which was up 3.1 percentage points to 73.5%.
The largest increase in employment by economic sector were in Professional, scientific and technical activities, which increased by 21,400 people. The largest decrease in employment was in Administrative & Support Service Activities (-8,300).
Hours Worked
The estimated average number of hours worked in Quarter 3 2024 was 85.9 million hours per week, which was 2.4 million more hours worked per week when compared with Q3 2023.
The year-on-year change in hours worked varied across the different economic sectors. The Accommodation & Food Service Activities sector saw the largest increase in hours worked (+700,000) when compared with Q3 2023. The largest sectoral decrease in hours worked was in the Administrative & Support Service Activities sector, down 300,000 hours.
Unemployment
The number of people aged 15-74 years who were unemployed in Q3 2024 stood at 129,500, with an associated Unemployment Rate of 4.5%.
There were 27,100 people in long-term unemployment (unemployed for 12 months or longer) in Q3 2024, 4,200 fewer people than Q3 2023. The corresponding rate of long-term unemployment was 0.9%, down from 1.1% 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.”