'Mixed picture' for unemployment rate and job growth in CSO estimates

The unemployment rate has increased 0.1% month-on-month

While the number of unemployed men decreased by 400 people month-on-month, there was an increase of 2,000 women without employment in October 2026 compared to the month before. Photo: Eliot J. Schechter/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The number of people who were unemployed increased by 5,900 in October 2026 compared to the same month last year, according to a Central Statistics Office (CSO) estimate of monthly unemployment published this week.

While the number of unemployed men decreased by 400 people month-on-month, there was an increase of 2,000 women without employment in October 2026 compared to the month before.

Youth unemployment, representing people aged 15 to 24 years old, stands at 11.5%, up 0.1% from September 2026. The rate for those aged 25 to 74 years old was unchanged from the previous month, and stood at 3.8%.

The average unemployment rate across age groups and gender was 4.8% in October 2026, up slightly from a revised rate of 4.7% in September 2026 and from the same rate of 4.7% recorded in October 2025.

The total number of people unemployed during the month was 143,600, the CSO found, by forecasting the number of persons who are unemployed using the trend in the recipient live register series.

Reacting to the figures, Kate English, chief economist at Deloitte Ireland, said it was "positive" that Ireland’s unemployment rate has now been 5% or lower since December 2021, with the exception of 5.1% in March 2026.

"A 5% rate signals resilience and near full employment," she said, adding that the youth unemployment figure has "remained broadly stable" and is down 1.1% on the past decade's average.

EY’s Chief Economist, Rossa White, pointed out that “unemployment is lower than previously estimated," with September's estimated rate lowered by 0.3 percentage points to 4.7%."

The bottom line is the rate is "trending in the right direction," said Mr White.

Jack Kennedy, senior economist at hiring platform Indeed, said his company's Irish Job Postings Index shows that hiring demand has strengthened in October this year.

"The return of job postings to above their pre-pandemic level is an encouraging indication that employers continue to recruit after hiring demand stabilised earlier this year. It is also consistent with recent assessments pointing to continued growth in the domestic economy, despite ongoing global trade tensions, geopolitical uncertainty and inflationary pressures," said Mr Kennedy.

However, Ms English described the labour market data as delivering a "slightly mixed picture with respect to growth" and said, "the slowdown in the volume of new jobs being added is clear".

"While employment growth has softened, there remain clear skills shortages across some parts of the economy, such as in construction," she concluded.

Labour force figures for the third quarter of 2026 are expected in two weeks and will capture the number of jobs being added to the economy in addition to the official unemployment rate.