The unemployment rate in Ireland fell to 4.7% in August but is up from a 4.1% rate in the same month last year.
According to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.7% from a revised rate of 4.8% last month. On an annual basis, the rate increased from 4.1% in August 2024.
The number of people unemployed was 138,200 in August, compared with 142,200 in July. This was an increase of 19,600 on the number of people unemployed in August 2024.
Conor Delves, Statistician in the Labour Market Analysis Section, said: “The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed males fell to 76,300 in August 2025, compared with 77,800 in July 2025. The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed females in August 2025 was 61,900, down from 64,400 in July 2025.”
Andrew Webb, Chief Economist at Grant Thornton Ireland, said the 20,000 annual rise points to a labour market that, while still relatively strong, is not as tight as it was a year ago. “The task now is to look past the monthly noise and focus on whether these year-on-year increases signal a shift in underlying conditions,” he said.
Jack Kennedy, senior economist at hiring platform Indeed, said the level of job postings on their website has tracked this gradual cooling of the labour market. “The latest figures showing job postings are 10% above pre-pandemic levels, a level that is down from 18% at the start of the year,” he said.