Ireland monthly unemployment rate steady at 4.7% in January - CSO

Ireland’s unemployment rate held steady in January, remaining unchanged from the previous month but edging higher on an annual basis, figures from Central Statistics Office showed on Thursday.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 4.7% in January, unchanged from December, which was revised down from 5.0%. January’s figure marked an increase from 4.5% a year earlier.

The CSO said the number of people unemployed rose to 138,400 in January from 137,800 in December. On an annual basis, this represented an increase of 8,600 people compared with January 2025.

By gender, male unemployment was unchanged on-month at 4.8% in January, up from 4.5% a year earlier. The female unemployment rate also held steady month-on-month at 4.5%, compared with 4.4% in January 2025.

Youth unemployment increased, with the rate for those aged 15 to 24 rising to 11.8% from a revised 11.4% in December. By contrast, unemployment among those aged 25 to 74 edged lower to 3.6% from 3.7% the month before.

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