Unemployment rate falls to 4.9%, with 144,400 out of work

CSO figures for November show numbers unemployed down slightly from October 

Shoppers on Grafton Street in Dublin. The rate of unemployment fell slightly to 4.9% in November, according to the CSO. Picture: Patrick Bolger/Bloomberg 

The rate of unemployment fell slightly to 4.9% in November, according to the CSO. 

The seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed was 144,400, compared with 147,100 in October 2025. 

On an annual basis, the unemployment rate increased from 4.2% in November 2024 to 4.9% in November 2025. "There was an increase of 23,200 in the seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed in November 2025 when compared with November 2024," said CSO statistician in Labour Market analysis Conor Delves.

The monthly youth employment rate (aged 15 to 24) was 13.4%, unchanged from October.

The overall lower unemployment rate is a positive sign of stability and resiliency ahead of 2026, says Deloitte Ireland chief economist Kate English said.

“While 4.9% is lower than the previous two unemployment figures, I wouldn’t go as far to say unemployment rates in Ireland are trending downwards. Monthly data can fluctuate but it does signal a direction of travel – and to me that shows stability.

“Youth unemployment is a talking point at home and abroad. It now sits at 13.4%, which is up from 11.4% in November 2024. However, it has remained at a steady rate for three consecutive months, again indicating a stabilisation.”

Jack Kennedy, senior economist at hiring platform Indeed, said the return of the overall rate of unemployment to below 5% comes amid signs that the softer Irish labour market has had an effect on overall unemployment levels, "but that the picture is stabilising".