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Monthly Estimates of Payroll Employees using Administrative Data February 2026

The Monthly Employee Index rose by 0.1% in the month to February 2026

Online ISSN: 2811-5791

CSO statistical release, 17 April 2026, 11am

A CSO Frontier Series Output

This publication is categorised as a CSO Frontier Series Output. Particular care must be taken when interpreting the statistics in this release as it may use new methods which are under development and/or data sources which may be incomplete, for example new administrative data sources.

Advisory Note

November 2025 data has been updated to correct a processing error; these revisions are reflected in this release.

Key Findings

The monthly employee index for males increased by 0.1%, while the index for females also went up by 0.1% in February 2026.
Taking age into account, the largest monthly increase were observed in the 55 - 59 years and 60 – 64 years age groups (+0.3%).
The largest monthly fall was in Construction (-0.5%), and Wholesale & Retails Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles & Motorcycles (-0.5%).
The annual employee index rose by 2.3% to February 2026.

Statistician's Comment

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (17 April 2026) published Monthly Estimates of Payroll Employees using Administrative Data, February 2026.

Commenting on the release, Kevin Healy, Statistician in the Labour Market & Earnings Division, said: “Five NACE sectors saw a monthly increase in the numbers employed in February 2026, six sectors showed a decrease while four sectors remained unchanged. The largest monthly fall was in Construction, and Wholesale & Retails Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles & Motorcycles (-0.5%). The largest monthly rise was in Public Administration & Defence; Compulsory Social Security (+0.6%).

The 35-44 years age category saw the largest monthly drop in employees in February 2026 (-0.2%).

The annual index increased by 2.3% between February 2025 and February 2026.”

Data from this release supplements data published in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) quarterly series, which is the official measure of both employment and unemployment for the State. Monthly Estimates of Payroll Employees using Administrative Data are of relevance to LFS Seasonally Adjusted Estimates and Employment outputs.

Seasonal Adjustment

The Monthly Estimates of Payroll Employees using Administrative Data release is a very short time series (just over five years of monthly data) and is thus at the lower limit of acceptable length for the seasonal adjustment process. In the short term, care should be taken in interpreting the seasonally adjusted output. Users should be aware that there is increased uncertainty around the seasonally adjusted figures during the COVID-19 period due to the volatility of the data. Non-seasonally adjusted data are available on PxStat. The seasonal models were revised in September 2025. The models are being updated as part of the annual review process in accordance with the CSO and ESS (European Statistical System/Eurostat) guidelines.

Revisions and Rounding

The Monthly Estimates of Payroll Employees using Administrative Data is published as a 'Frontier' release, therefore the methodology and data are subject to revision. As more data become available, due to later transmissions from employers, the series may change from month to month. As this particularly affects the most recent months, figures should be considered provisional for the two most recent months for the non-seasonally adjusted data. Estimates for 2024 were revised in September 2025 as part of an annual review with the latest data available. All figures for monthly percentage change and annual percentage change are calculated prior to the input data being rounded.

This release will shortly begin using the new NACE Rev.2.1 classification. This updated EU-wide system of classification replaces NACE Rev.2 and will better reflect emerging economic activities and provide a more accurate picture of the Irish economy. Users will be advised when this new classification system will be applied to this release. For more information on the upcoming changes, visit our NACE - Classification of Economic Activities webpage.

Key Figures

Number of Employees and Employee Index, Monthly and Annual Changes, Seasonally Adjusted
Period	Number of Employees	Employee Index (Base year: 2019=100)	Monthly % Change	Annual % Change
February 2025	2,533,400	117.6	0.0	2.1
January 2026	2,589,100	120.2	0.1	2.2
February 2026	2,591,900	120.3	0.1	2.3

Open in Excel: Monthly Estimates of Payroll Employees using Administrative Data February 2026 Headline Table (XLS 10KB)

Employee Index Totals, Seasonally Adjusted

The annual index increased by 2.3% in February 2026 when compared with February 2025. March 2021 was the last month to show an annual decrease in the employee index (-11.1%).

Table 1 Employee Index and Total Number of Employees, Seasonally Adjusted

Employee Index by Sex, Seasonally Adjusted

On an annual basis, the index for males increased by 2.4% and females increased by 2.3%. The monthly index increased by 0.1% for females and for males in February 2026.

Table 2 Employee Index by Sex, Seasonally Adjusted

Table 2a Number of Employees by Sex, Seasonally Adjusted

Table 2a Number of Employees by Sex, Seasonally Adjusted
		Male			Female			Both Sexes
Year	Month	Number of Employees	Monthly % Change	Annual % Change	Number of Employees	Monthly % Change	Annual % Change	Number of Employees	Monthly % Change	Annual % Change
2024	February	1,248,900	0.3	2.1	1,227,900	0.5	2.5	2,481,500	0.4	2.4
	March	1,251,200	0.2	2.1	1,234,000	0.5	2.6	2,484,800	0.1	2.2
	April	1,252,200	0.1	2.2	1,229,900	-0.3	2.4	2,484,500	0.0	2.2
	May	1,253,300	0.1	2.3	1,233,100	0.3	2.9	2,487,400	0.1	2.7
	June	1,255,000	0.1	2.4	1,236,100	0.2	2.9	2,487,800	0.0	2.7
	July	1,256,600	0.1	2.6	1,237,600	0.1	3.1	2,490,400	0.1	2.8
	August	1,259,400	0.2	2.6	1,242,300	0.4	3.4	2,496,900	0.3	2.9
	September	1,256,400	-0.2	2.0	1,230,900	-0.9	1.9	2,489,600	-0.3	2.3
	October	1,264,000	0.6	2.3	1,238,000	0.6	2.3	2,501,200	0.5	2.2
	November	1,271,700	0.6	2.7	1,246,100	0.7	2.7	2,514,100	0.5	2.5
	December	1,276,900	0.4	2.8	1,250,200	0.3	2.7	2,531,300	0.7	2.9

2025	January	1,277,100	0.0	2.5	1,252,100	0.1	2.5	2,532,900	0.1	2.5
	February	1,278,500	0.1	2.4	1,253,000	0.1	2.0	2,533,400	0.0	2.1
	March	1,281,800	0.3	2.4	1,255,200	0.2	1.7	2,537,800	0.2	2.1
	April	1,286,100	0.3	2.7	1,258,100	0.2	2.3	2,545,400	0.3	2.5
	May	1,289,100	0.2	2.9	1,262,200	0.3	2.4	2,549,600	0.2	2.5
	June	1,288,600	0.0	2.7	1,261,600	0.0	2.1	2,550,500	0.0	2.5
	July	1,289,100	0.0	2.6	1,264,900	0.3	2.2	2,549,900	0.0	2.4
	August	1,293,900	0.4	2.7	1,267,600	0.2	2.0	2,560,400	0.4	2.5
	September	1,296,800	0.2	3.2	1,270,000	0.2	3.2	2,564,900	0.2	3.0
	October	1,302,300	0.4	3.0	1,274,500	0.3	2.9	2,577,700	0.5	3.1
	November	1,304,200	0.1	2.6	1,276,700	0.2	2.5	2,581,100	0.1	2.7
	December	1,308,000	0.3	2.4	1,277,700	0.1	2.2	2,587,800	0.3	2.2
2026
	January	1,308,800	0.1	2.5	1,280,500	0.2	2.3	2,589,100	0.1	2.2
	February	1,309,600	0.1	2.4	1,281,400	0.1	2.3	2,591,900	0.1	2.3
Source: PMOD Revenue Commissioner's Employee Tax Data

Open in Excel: Monthly Estimates of Payroll Employees using Administrative Data February 2026 Table 2a (XLS 13KB)

Employee Index by Age Groups, Seasonally Adjusted

With the exception of the 35-44 years age category, which remained unchanged, all age groups saw annual increases in the employee index. The age group with the largest annual rise in employees was 65 years and over (+7.5%) followed by those aged 60-64 years (+4.4%).

Table 3 Employee Index by Age Group, Seasonally Adjusted

Table 3a Number of Employees by Age Group, Seasonally Adjusted

Employee Index by Economic Sector

The sectors showing the largest annual increase were Transportation & Storage (+7.4%), followed by Construction (+4.5%). The three sectors showing annual decreases were Industry (-0.8%), Services (-0.2%) and Information & Communication (-0.1%). It should be noted that Services (T,U) is the smallest sector, with 4,500 employees in February 2026.

Table 4 Employee Index classified by NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector, Seasonally Adjusted

Table 4a Number of Employees classified by NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector, Seasonally Adjusted

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Table 3 Employee Index by Age Group, Seasonally Adjusted
	Employee Index (Base Year 2019=100)			Monthly % Change	Annual % Change
Age Group	February 2025	January 2026	February 2026	Monthly % Change	Annual % Change
15 - 19 years	131.1	132.6	132.5	-0.1	1.0
20 - 24 years	118.7	122.2	122.5	0.2	3.2
25 - 34 years	109.2	111.1	111.2	0.1	1.8
35 - 44 years	108.0	108.2	108.0	-0.2	0.0
45 - 54 years	127.1	131.3	131.5	0.2	3.5
55 - 59 years	124.0	129.0	129.3	0.3	4.3
60 - 64 years	135.0	140.6	140.9	0.3	4.4
65 years and over	156.9	168.7	168.7	0.0	7.5
15 years and over	117.6	120.2	120.3	0.1	2.3
Source: PMOD Revenue Commissioner's Employee Tax Data

Table 3a Number of Employees by Age Group, Seasonally Adjusted
	Number of Employees			Monthly % Change	Annual % Change
Age Group	February 2025	January 2026	February 2026	Monthly % Change	Annual % Change
15 - 19 years	118,000	119,400	119,200	-0.1	1.0
20 - 24 years	265,800	273,700	274,300	0.2	3.2
25 - 34 years	570,500	580,400	580,800	0.1	1.8
35 - 44 years	626,600	627,700	626,400	-0.2	0.0
45 - 54 years	551,800	570,100	571,300	0.2	3.5
55 - 59 years	197,200	205,200	205,700	0.3	4.3
60 - 64 years	136,500	142,100	142,400	0.3	4.4
65 years and over	68,100	73,200	73,200	0.0	7.5
15 years and over	2,533,400	2,589,100	2,591,900	0.1	2.3
Source: PMOD Revenue Commissioner's Employee Tax Data

Table 4 Employee Index classified by NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector, Seasonally Adjusted
	Employee Index (Base Year 2019=100)			Monthly % Change	Annual % Change
Sector	February 2025	January 2026	February 2026	Monthly % Change	Annual % Change
Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)	115.1	117.6	117.2	-0.4	1.8
Industry (B to E)	117.1	116.4	116.1	-0.2	-0.8
Construction (F)	129.6	136.0	135.4	-0.5	4.5
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (G)	110.2	112.5	111.9	-0.5	1.5
Transportation and storage (H)	120.0	128.4	128.9	0.3	7.4
Accommodation and food service activities (I)	112.1	114.9	114.7	-0.1	2.4
Information and communication (J)	121.3	121.1	121.2	0.0	-0.1
Financial, insurance and real estate activities (K,L)	117.2	121.4	121.7	0.3	3.9
Professional, scientific and technical activities (M)	125.5	127.8	127.7	0.0	1.7
Administrative and support service activities (N)	111.7	113.6	113.9	0.3	1.9
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security (O)	119.7	123.7	124.4	0.6	3.9
Education (P)	120.5	123.2	123.2	0.0	2.2
Human health and social work activities (Q)	126.0	130.4	130.9	0.4	3.9
Arts, entertainment, recreation and other service activities (R,S)	103.6	106.2	105.9	-0.3	2.2
Services (T,U)	118.2	118.0	118.0	0.0	-0.2
Not stated	..	..	..	..	..

Aggregated Sectors
Cultural and Creative Industries	107.4	109.2	109.8	0.5	2.2
Tourism Industries	110.4	114.5	114.3	-0.1	3.5

All Economic Sectors	117.6	120.2	120.3	0.1	2.3
Source: PMOD Revenue Commissioner's Employee Tax Data
.. Not applicable

Table 4a Number of Employees classified by NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector, Seasonally Adjusted
	Number of Employees			Monthly % Change	Annual % Change
Sector	February 2025	January 2026	February 2026	Monthly % Change	Annual % Change
Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)	29,900	30,600	30,500	-0.4	1.8
Industry (B to E)	277,800	276,200	275,600	-0.2	-0.8
Construction (F)	148,000	155,400	154,700	-0.5	4.5
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (G)	389,200	397,200	395,100	-0.5	1.5
Transportation and storage (H)	94,600	101,200	101,500	0.3	7.4
Accommodation and food service activities (I)	206,500	211,700	211,500	-0.1	2.4
Information and communication (J)	123,000	122,800	122,900	0.0	-0.1
Financial, insurance and real estate activities (K,L)	132,900	137,700	138,100	0.3	3.9
Professional, scientific and technical activities (M)	165,700	168,600	168,600	0.0	1.7
Administrative and support service activities (N)	161,300	164,000	164,400	0.3	1.9
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security (O)	212,400	219,500	220,700	0.6	3.9
Education (P)	179,900	183,800	183,900	0.0	2.2
Human health and social work activities (Q)	303,700	314,200	315,500	0.4	3.9
Arts, entertainment, recreation and other service activities (R,S)	100,400	103,000	102,700	-0.3	2.2
Services (T,U)	4,500	4,500	4,500	0.0	-0.2
Not stated¹	..	..	..	..	..

Aggregated Sectors
Cultural and Creative Industries	37,900	38,500	38,700	0.5	2.2
Tourism Industries	220,100	228,200	227,900	-0.1	3.5

All Economic Sectors	2,533,400	2,589,100	2,591,900	0.1	2.3
.. Not applicable
¹ May be subject to revision due to a lag in coding of activity in Revenue's PMOD file

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Monthly Estimates of Payroll Employees using Administrative Data February 2026