On the 5th June, 2026, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Monthly Unemployment (MU) figures for May 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, 141,700 people are unemployed in May 2026, an increase of 5.6% on May 2025. The Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) is 4.9%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points (ppts).
The Monthly Unemployment Rate for men decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 4.5%, and for women it increased by 0.9 ppts to 5.3%. Of the 140,300 people who are unemployed, 51.1%, or 72,400, are women.
Young People
In May 2026, 33,800 people aged 15-24yrs are unemployed, 8,800 less young people than in May 2025, an 20.7% total decrease. This age group accounts for 23.9% of all unemployed people. Their MUR is 9.9%, 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 1.4 percentage points while their unemployment rate is 10.0%. In May 2026, women account for 48.5% of those unemployed in this age category.
People Aged 25-74yrs
The Monthly Unemployment figure for people aged 25-74yrs is 107,900 in May 2026, an increase of 17.4% since May 2025. Their Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) is 4.2% in May 2026, an increase of 0.6 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 4.7%. Women account for 51.2% of those unemployed in this age category.