Unemployment rate hits highest level in more than two years

Since March 2022, when unemployment was 5%, the rate has been consistently at or below 4.5% right up until June, CSO figures show

Youth unemployment — people aged 15 to 24 — was at 11.4% during July, up from the 10.4% in June. 

The Irish unemployment rate rose to 4.7% in July, hitting the highest level in more than two years, with youth unemployment seeing a jump, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows.

Since March 2022, when unemployment was 5%, the rate has been consistently at or below 4.5% right up until June. In July last year, the rate stood at 4.3%.

The Monthly Unemployment rate for July 2024 was 4.7%, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous monthhttps://t.co/nHIz8q34zx#CSOIreland #Ireland #LabourForceSurvey #LabourForce #Households #LabourMarket #LiveRegister #Jobs #Employment #Unemployment pic.twitter.com/tMP4lmsdUR

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) August 6, 2024

According to the CSO, the unemployment rate for men was 4.7% and 4.8% for women.

Statistician with the CSO Conor Delves said the seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed was 136,100 in July, compared with 129,000 in June.

“There was an increase of 16,200 in the seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed in July when compared with a year earlier,” he said.

Youth unemployment — people aged 15 to 24 — was at 11.4% during July, up from the 10.4% in June, and the 10.3% in July last year.

The unemployment rate for all other persons aged 25 to 74 rose to 3.7% from 3.6% in June.