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In March 2026, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.7%, up from 4.6% in February 2026. On an annual basis, the unemployment rate increased from 4.5% in March 2025 to 4.7% in March 2026.
Breaking down the results by sex, the monthly unemployment rate for males at 4.7% was unchanged from February 2026, and up from 4.5% in March 2025.
The monthly unemployment rate in March 2026 was 4.7% for females, up from the revised rate of 4.5% in February 2026, and up from 4.6% in March 2025
In terms of age, the monthly unemployment rate for people aged 15-24 years (Youth Unemployment Rate) was 12.5% in March 2026, up from 12.4% in February 2026.
The monthly unemployment rate for people aged 25-74 years was 3.5% in March 2026, unchanged from February 2026.
The methodology for the Monthly Unemployment Estimates involves forecasting the number of persons who are unemployed using the trend in the recipient Live Register series. The Department of Social Protection is providing Working Age Income supports to people arriving in Ireland from Ukraine under the Temporary Protection Directive. The Live Register series includes recipients of these supports who have met the relevant criteria. This has impacted on the numbers of unemployed, primarily females, in these monthly estimates.
From 9 September 2024 beneficiaries of EU’s Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) living in Designated Accommodation Centres no longer qualify for Jobseeker’s Allowance and thus are no longer enumerated on the Live Register – see Background Notes.
Data in this release are subject to revision based on updates to the seasonally adjusted series whenever new monthly data are added. In addition, it should be noted that larger revisions can occur when the most recent Labour Force Survey (LFS) data are included in the calculation process.
The Monthly Unemployment Estimates published today for March 2026 have incorporated the LFS benchmarks up to Q4 2025 for the monthly estimates up to December 2025. The estimates for January, February and March 2026 have been forecasted. Forecasted figures are subject to revision.
| Seasonally Adjusted Monthly Unemployment | |||
| Number of persons unemployed | Unemployment rate (%) | ||
| March 2025 | 133,000 | 4.5 | |
| February 2026 | 138,900 | 4.6 | |
| March 2026 | 140,000 | 4.7 | |
| Number | Percentage points | ||
| Change in month | 1,100 | 0.1 | |
| Change in year | 7,000 | 0.2 | |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (01 April 2026) published Monthly Unemployment Estimates results for March 2026.
Commenting on today’s release, Conor Delves, Statistician in the Labour Market Analysis Section, said: “The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for all people aged 15-74 years in March 2026 was 4.7%, up from 4.6% in February 2026, and up from 4.5% in March 2025. In March 2026, the unemployment rate for both males and females was 4.7%.
The seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed was 140,000 in March 2026, compared with 138,900 people in February 2026. There was a rise of 7,000 in the seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed in March 2026 when compared with March 2025.
The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed males decreased to 73,900 in March 2026, compared with 74,900 in February 2026. The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed females in March 2026 was 66,100, up from 64,000 in February 2026.”