Irish unemployment rises to 4.8% in October as September figure is revised down

Headline rate and revisions

The Central Statistics Office put Ireland's unemployment rate at 4.8% for October 2026, up from a revised 4.7% in September. The September rate had first been published at 5%, and the downward revision means unemployment has been below 5% for seven successive months. The seasonally adjusted count of people out of work reached 143,600 in October, up from 142,000 in September and 5,900 higher than in October 2025. The monthly count is produced by forecasting from the trend in the live register series. Since November 2021 the jobless rate has moved between a near-record low of 4.1% and 5.1%.

September 2026 (original)5%

September 2026 (revised)4.7%

October 20264.8%

September 2026 (original)

5 %

September 2026 (revised)

4.7 %

October 2026

4.8 %

Data from the article text

Men, women and young people

The male unemployment rate was 4.7% in October, down from a revised 4.8% in September and unchanged from October 2025. The female rate rose to 4.8%, up from a revised 4.7% the previous month and from 4.6% a year earlier. Month-on-month, the number of unemployed men fell by 400, while the number of unemployed women rose by 2,000. Youth unemployment for people aged 15 to 24 stood at 11.5% in October, up from a revised 11.4% in September, while the rate for those aged 25 to 74 held at 3.8%.

Job postings and hiring demand

Indeed's Irish Job Postings Index showed postings 4.1% above their pre-pandemic baseline as of 23 October 2026, a swing from 1.9% below baseline at the end of September. Jack Kennedy, senior economist at Indeed, read the rise as a sign that employers keep hiring. He tied the figures to continued growth in the domestic economy, despite global trade tensions, geopolitical uncertainty and inflationary pressures.

“The return of job postings to above their pre-pandemic level is an encouraging indication that employers continue to recruit after hiring demand stabilised earlier this year.”

End of September 2026-1.9%

23 October 20264.1%

End of September 2026

-1.9 %

23 October 2026

4.1 %

Data from the article text

Economists weigh the slowdown

Kate English, chief economist at Deloitte Ireland, said unemployment has been at 5% or lower since December 2021, with the exception of 5.1% in March 2026, and called that positive. She noted that youth unemployment had remained broadly stable while employment growth had softened. English described the labour market data as a slightly mixed picture for growth in 2026, and said the slowdown in new jobs being added is clear.

“A 5 per cent rate signals resilience and near full employment.”

English also pointed to clear skills shortages in parts of the economy, construction among them, even as hiring slowed.

What comes next

The third-quarter labour force figures are expected in two weeks and will show how many jobs were added to the economy, which English said will be important for the official unemployment rate. That release falls in November 2026. Until then the October figures stand as the latest reading of the jobless rate.