| Seasonally adjusted number of persons unemployed | Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (%) | ||
| April 2021 | 186,300 | 7.5 | |
| March 2022 | 135,800 | 5.1 | |
| April 2022 | 129,500 | 4.8 | |
| Percentage Points | |||
| Change in month | - 6,300 | - 0.3 | |
| Change in year | - 56,800 | - 2.7 |
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April 2022 was 4.8%, down from a revised rate of 5.1% in March 2022 and down from 7.5% in April 2021. The seasonally adjusted number of persons unemployed was 129,500 in April 2022, compared to 135,800 in March 2022. When compared to April 2021, there was an annual decrease of 56,800 in the seasonally adjusted number of persons unemployed.
Summary points for April
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.
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Data in this release are subject to revision, caused by 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 April 2022 have incorporated LFS benchmarks up to Q1 2022 for the monthly estimates up to March 2022 while the estimates for April 2022 have been forecasted. |
| Table 1a Seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment by sex - All persons aged 15-74 years | |||||||||
| Number of persons | Unemployment rate (%) | ||||||||
| Males | Females | All Persons | Males | Females | All Persons | ||||
| 2020 | April | 60,100 | 46,400 | 106,500 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.7 | ||
| May | 61,600 | 48,500 | 110,100 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 5.0 | |||
| June | 68,600 | 57,600 | 126,200 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.6 | |||
| July | 82,800 | 75,100 | 157,900 | 6.5 | 7.1 | 6.8 | |||
| August | 89,900 | 83,700 | 173,600 | 6.9 | 7.6 | 7.2 | |||
| September | 94,200 | 85,000 | 179,200 | 7.1 | 7.6 | 7.4 | |||
| October | 84,200 | 70,300 | 154,500 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.4 | |||
| November | 82,900 | 66,400 | 149,300 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 6.2 | |||
| December | 82,000 | 67,000 | 149,000 | 6.3 | 6.1 | 6.2 | |||
| 2021 | January | 89,000 | 77,200 | 166,200 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 6.9 | ||
| February | 95,100 | 85,200 | 180,300 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.5 | |||
| March | 98,900 | 89,200 | 188,100 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 7.7 | |||
| April | 100,400 | 86,000 | 186,300 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.5 | |||
| May | 94,800 | 78,300 | 173,100 | 7.0 | 6.7 | 6.9 | |||
| June | 87,900 | 72,100 | 160,000 | 6.5 | 6.1 | 6.3 | |||
| July | 80,900 | 67,600 | 148,500 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.8 | |||
| August | 75,000 | 66,300 | 141,300 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | |||
| September | 74,000 | 62,800 | 136,800 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.3 | |||
| October | 73,600 | 64,000 | 137,700 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.3 | |||
| November | 73,200 | 64,000 | 137,200 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.2 | |||
| December | 70,700 | 62,900 | 133,600 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 | |||
| 2022 | January | 69,200 | 63,100 | 132,300 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 5.0 | ||
| February | 66,100 | 60,700 | 126,900 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.8 | |||
| March | 71,800 | 64,000 | 135,800 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 | |||
| April | 69,300 | 60,200 | 129,500 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.8 | |||
| Table 1b Seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment by sex - persons aged 15-24 years | |||||||||
| Number of persons | Unemployment rate (%) | ||||||||
| Males | Females | All Persons | Males | Females | All Persons | ||||
| 2020 | April | 14,900 | 17,300 | 32,200 | 12.0 | 14.8 | 13.3 | ||
| May | 14,100 | 18,800 | 32,800 | 12.4 | 17.4 | 14.9 | |||
| June | 17,800 | 20,700 | 38,400 | 15.3 | 18.6 | 16.9 | |||
| July | 27,700 | 22,900 | 50,600 | 20.7 | 18.1 | 19.4 | |||
| August | 31,700 | 24,600 | 56,300 | 22.1 | 18.3 | 20.3 | |||
| September | 33,700 | 26,600 | 60,200 | 22.8 | 19.3 | 21.1 | |||
| October | 24,200 | 22,600 | 46,800 | 17.4 | 17.4 | 17.4 | |||
| November | 20,800 | 22,400 | 43,200 | 15.3 | 17.6 | 16.4 | |||
| December | 17,200 | 22,000 | 39,200 | 12.9 | 17.4 | 15.1 | |||
| 2021 | January | 17,000 | 24,900 | 41,900 | 12.7 | 19.3 | 15.9 | ||
| February | 20,900 | 27,100 | 48,000 | 14.9 | 20.1 | 17.5 | |||
| March | 25,800 | 29,000 | 54,700 | 17.5 | 20.6 | 19.0 | |||
| April | 30,900 | 30,000 | 60,900 | 19.8 | 20.4 | 20.1 | |||
| May | 29,800 | 26,200 | 56,000 | 18.4 | 17.6 | 18.0 | |||
| June | 27,200 | 22,700 | 49,900 | 16.1 | 14.9 | 15.5 | |||
| July | 23,400 | 19,100 | 42,500 | 13.5 | 12.0 | 12.8 | |||
| August | 20,000 | 18,200 | 38,200 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11.3 | |||
| September | 20,500 | 17,900 | 38,500 | 11.7 | 10.8 | 11.3 | |||
| October | 21,600 | 19,600 | 41,200 | 12.5 | 11.5 | 12.0 | |||
| November | 22,000 | 20,200 | 42,100 | 12.7 | 11.5 | 12.1 | |||
| December | 19,500 | 19,800 | 39,200 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.2 | |||
| 2022 | January | 16,500 | 19,600 | 36,100 | 9.3 | 10.9 | 10.1 | ||
| February | 13,800 | 16,300 | 30,100 | 7.7 | 9.1 | 8.4 | |||
| March | 12,000 | 13,400 | 25,400 | 6.7 | 7.6 | 7.2 | |||
| April | 9,000 | 11,300 | 20,300 | 5.0 | 6.2 | 5.6 | |||
| Table 1c Seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment by sex - persons aged 25-74 years | |||||||||
| Number of persons | Unemployment rate (%) | ||||||||
| Males | Females | All Persons | Males | Females | All Persons | ||||
| 2020 | April | 45,100 | 29,100 | 74,300 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 3.7 | ||
| May | 47,600 | 29,700 | 77,300 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 3.9 | |||
| June | 50,900 | 36,900 | 87,800 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.4 | |||
| July | 55,100 | 52,200 | 107,200 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 5.2 | |||
| August | 58,300 | 59,100 | 117,400 | 5.0 | 6.1 | 5.5 | |||
| September | 60,600 | 58,400 | 119,000 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 5.5 | |||
| October | 60,000 | 47,800 | 107,700 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 5.0 | |||
| November | 62,100 | 44,000 | 106,100 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.9 | |||
| December | 64,800 | 45,000 | 109,800 | 5.6 | 4.6 | 5.1 | |||
| 2021 | January | 72,000 | 52,300 | 124,300 | 6.3 | 5.3 | 5.8 | ||
| February | 74,200 | 58,100 | 132,300 | 6.5 | 5.9 | 6.2 | |||
| March | 73,100 | 60,300 | 133,400 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 6.2 | |||
| April | 69,500 | 56,000 | 125,500 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.8 | |||
| May | 65,000 | 52,100 | 117,100 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 5.3 | |||
| June | 60,700 | 49,400 | 110,100 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.0 | |||
| July | 57,500 | 48,500 | 106,000 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.8 | |||
| August | 55,100 | 48,100 | 103,100 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | |||
| September | 53,500 | 44,900 | 98,300 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.4 | |||
| October | 52,000 | 44,400 | 96,500 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.3 | |||
| November | 51,200 | 43,800 | 95,100 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | |||
| December | 51,200 | 43,100 | 94,300 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.1 | |||
| 2022 | January | 52,700 | 43,500 | 96,300 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | ||
| February | 52,300 | 44,400 | 96,800 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | |||
| March | 59,900 | 50,500 | 110,400 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.8 | |||
| April | 60,300 | 48,800 | 109,200 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.7 | |||
The purpose of this release is to provide a detailed series of monthly unemployment estimates. The release contains both monthly unemployment rates and monthly unemployment volumes.
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides benchmark estimates of employment and unemployment for each quarter since the beginning of 1998. These quarterly benchmark estimates are then used to compile monthly data using the Proportional Denton method. The main characteristic of this method is that the monthly Live Register series is used as an indicator to disaggregate the quarterly LFS unemployment series into a monthly series in such a way as to minimise the differences between two consecutive months. It also ensures that the average of three months in a particular calendar quarter is equal to the corresponding LFS estimate.
For months where the quarterly unemployment data are not yet available, the ratio of the LFS monthly estimate to the Live Register monthly estimate (i.e. the benchmark to indicator ratio) is forecast forward in order to extrapolate a monthly LFS estimate. This approach adheres to agreed international practice.
Please see the Technical Note published alongside the August 2020 release which outlines minor changes made to the methodology used for results presented in this release following analysis of recipient and non-recipient claims in the Live Register Series.
To correct for typical seasonal patterns, the data series included have been concurrently seasonally adjusted. This seasonal adjustment is completed by applying the X-12-ARIMA model, developed by the U.S. Census Bureau. In the case of these monthly unemployment estimates, seasonal adjustment is conducted using the indirect approach, where each individual series is independently adjusted. To preserve consistency between the individual and aggregate series, the series for gender, age group and total monthly unemployed are then created from these component series. The series for monthly unemployment rates are likewise created from these component series.
Seasonally adjusting the Monthly Unemployment series during the COVID-19 crisis period will be challenging until the scale and shape of its impact on the time series is better understood. This initial seasonally adjusted result might be revised for some months ahead as future observations become available. Users should be aware that there is increased uncertainty around the seasonally adjusted figures during this period.
Further information regarding the LFS and Live Register series are available from each respective release.
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Show Table 1a Seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment by sex - all persons aged 15-74 years
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