Unemployment rate falls to 4.2% for July

A recent survey from AIB revealed that the services part of the economy grew "strongly" in July and continued to hire, defying the rapid slowdown affecting manufacturing.

The overall seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 4.2% in July as companies continued to hire workers despite fears of an economic slowdown.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show the seasonally adjusted figure for July fell to a 21-year low, down marginally from the revised 4.3% rate recorded in June.