New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5% in August compared to the previous month after the reading for July was revised down from an original estimate of 5.1%.

The CSO said the unemployment rate had stood at 4.9% in August of last year.

Today’s figures show the monthly unemployment rate for men in August was 4.8%, unchanged from the revised rate in July and down from 5% in August 2025.

The monthly jobless rate for women was 5.1%, a drop from a revised rate of 5.2% in July, and up from 4.9% the same month last year.

Meanwhile, the monthly youth unemployment rate stood at 12.3% in August, down from a revised rate of 12.4% in July.

The CSO figures show that the seasonally adjusted number of people who were unemployed stood at 147,100 in August, compared with 148,300 in July.

There was a rise of 1,900 in the seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed in August of this year on the same month last year, the CSO added.

Commenting on today’s CSO figures, Jack Kennedy, senior economist at hiring platform Indeed, said the 5% jobless rate follows a trend of slightly higher unemployment rates this year with revised rates of 5% recorded in five of the eight months of 2026 and 4.9% in each of the other three.

Mr Kennedy said the modestly higher monthly unemployment rates recorded this year should be viewed in the context of considerable global instability.

“The lack of a lasting resolution in the conflict between the US and Iran is creating ongoing volatility in energy markets, adding to inflationary pressures and increasing fuel and other costs for businesses and households,” he staed.

But against this backdrop, the Irish labour market has remained relatively strong.

The economist noted that the latest Labour Force Survey showed that employment increased by 21,200 in the year to the second quarter, bringing the total number of people in employment to almost 2.84 million.

But unemployment also increased by 10,100 over the same period, while the number of people in long-term unemployment rose by 7,200.

“These figures underline the gradual softening in the labour market and the importance of monitoring whether that trend continues over the coming months,” he said.