On the 30th September, 2026, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Monthly Unemployment (MU) figures for September 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, 149,500 people are unemployed in September 2026, an increase of 4.0% on September 2025. The Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) is 5.0%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points (ppts).
The Monthly Unemployment Rate for men remains at 4.9% over the year, and for women it increased by 0.4 ppts to 5.2%. Of the 149,500 people who are unemployed, 48.7%, or 72,800 are women.
Young People
In September 2026, 45,500 people aged 15-24yrs are unemployed, 800 more young people than in September 2025, a 1.2% total decrease. This age group accounts for 30.4% of all unemployed people. Their MUR is 12.5%, a 0.3 percentage point increase in one year.
Over the year, the unemployment rate amongst young men has increased by 1.1 percentage points; their MUR has increased to 13.7%. Unemployment rates amongst young women decreased by 0.5 percentage points; their unemployment rate is 11.3%. In September 2026, women account for 43.5% of those unemployed in this age category.
People Aged 25-74yrs
The Monthly Unemployment figure for people aged 25-74yrs is 103,900 in September 2026, an increase of 5.1% since September 2025. Their Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) is 4.0% in September 2026, an increase of 0.2 percentage points over the year. In this age category the unemployment rate has decreased by 0.2 ppts to 3.7% for men over the year. Unemployment rates for women increased by 0.5 ppts to 4.3%. Women account for 51.0% of those unemployed in this age category.