On the 5th February, 2026, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Monthly Unemployment (MU) figures for January 2026. The Monthly Unemployment figures are estimated using trends in the Live Register figures based on data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and are subject to revision. The Labour Force Survey is published on a quarterly basis by the CSO and provides the official employment and unemployment figures.
According to the latest Monthly Unemployment figures, 138,400 people are unemployed in January 2026, an increase of 6.6% on January 2025. The Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) is 4.7%, an increase of 0.2 percentage points (ppts).
The Monthly Unemployment Rate for men increased by 0.3 percentage points to 4.8%, and for women it increased by 0.4 ppts to 4.5%. Of the 138,400 unemployed, 45.1%, or 62,400, are women.
Young People
In January 2026, 44,600 people aged 15-24yrs are unemployed, 3,400 more young people than in January 2025, an 8.3% total increase. This age group accounts for 32.2% of all unemployed people. Their MUR is 11.8%, a 0.4 percentage point increase in one year. Over the year, unemployment rates amongst young men have increased by 1.8 percentage points; their MUR has increased to 12.5%. Unemployment rates amongst young women decreased by 1.1 percentage points while their unemployment rate is 11.1%. In January 2025, women account for 49.1% of those unemployed in this age category.
People Aged 25-74yrs
The Monthly Unemployment figure for people aged 25-74yrs is 93,800 in January 2026, an increase of 5.9% since January 2025. Their Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) is 3.6% in January 2026, an increase of 0.1 percentage points over the year. In this age category unemployment has remained at 4.0% for men over the year. Unemployment rates for women increased by 0.2 ppts to 3.5%. Women account for 45.3% of those unemployed in this age category in January 2026.