Irish retail sales up in August; jobless holds at 5.0% in September

Irish retail sales rose in August, while the unemployment rate held steady in September, figures from the Central Statistics Office showed on Wednesday.

The volume of retail sales increased 0.6% month-on-month in August and was 4.3% higher than a year earlier.

Excluding motor trades, retail sales volumes rose 0.2% on the month and 3.0% annually.

The value of retail sales increased 0.4% from July and 5.6% from a year earlier. Excluding motor trades, the value of sales declined 0.1% monthly but rose 4.4% annually.

The largest monthly increases in sales volumes were recorded in furniture & lighting, up 2.6%, clothing, footwear & textiles, up 2.2%, and bars, up 1.9%.

Pharmaceuticals, medical & cosmetic articles recorded the largest monthly decline, falling 4.3%, while fuel sales volumes dropped 2.8%.

All sectors recorded annual volume growth in August, led by department stores at 9.0%, motor trades at 7.0%, and clothing, footwear & textiles at 6.8%.

Separately, Ireland's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.0% in September from August, but edged up from 4.9% a year earlier.

The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed people increased to 149,500 from 148,600 in August and 143,700 in September 2025.

The unemployment rate for men rose to 4.9% in September from 4.8% in August, while the rate for women remained unchanged at 5.2%.

Youth unemployment among people aged 15 to 24 increased to 12.5% from a revised 12.4% in August.

The unemployment rate among those aged 25 to 74 remained unchanged at 4.0%.

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