Ireland’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.1% in July 2026 from 5.0% in June, and was also slightly above the 5.0% recorded a year earlier. This marked the highest rate since December 2021.
The total number of unemployed people increased by 2,800 from the previous month and by 2,600 year-on-year, reaching 149,900.
By gender, the unemployment rate for females inched up to 5.3% from 5.2% in June, with the number of unemployed women rising by 1,800 to 74,300. Among males, the jobless rate also ticked up, to 4.9% from 4.8%, as the number of unemployed men increased by 1,100 to 75,600.
Meanwhile, the youth unemployment rate (ages 15–24) climbed to 12.3% from 11.8% in June. For those aged 25–74, the unemployment rate edged up to 4.1% from 4.0% over the past three months.