On the 7th May, 2026, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Monthly Unemployment (MU) figures for April 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, 140,300 people are unemployed in April 2026, an increase of 4.5% on April 2025. The Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) is 4.8%, an increase of 0.2 percentage points (ppts).
The Monthly Unemployment Rate for men decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 4.5%, and for women it increased by 0.8 ppts to 5.2%. Of the 140,300 people who are unemployed, 50.7%, or 71,200, are women.
Young People
In April 2026, 33,700 people aged 15-24yrs are unemployed, 9,600 less young people than in April 2025, an 22.2% total decrease. This age group accounts for 24% of all unemployed people. Their MUR is 9.8%, a 1.8 percentage point decrease in one year. Over the year, unemployment rates amongst young men have decreased by 1.7 percentage points; their MUR has decreased to 9.8%. Unemployment rates amongst young women decreased by 2.0 percentage points while their unemployment rate is 9.7%. In April 2025, women account for 47.8% of those unemployed in this age category.
People Aged 25-74yrs
The Monthly Unemployment figure for people aged 25-74yrs is 106,600 in April 2026, an increase of 17.4% since April 2025. Their Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) is 4.1% in April 2026, an increase of 0.5 percentage points over the year. In this age category the unemployment rate has remained at 3.8% for men over the year. Unemployment rates for women increased by 1.3 ppts to 4.6%. Women account for 51.2% of those unemployed in this age category.