Ireland's Unemployment Rises 14% to 141,800 in Q1, Driven by Tech Sector Decline
Ireland's unemployment rose by 14% to 141,800 in the first quarter, reaching a 4.9% rate. This increase was largely driven by a significant decline in the information and communication sector. Long-term unemployment also increased, while overall employment saw a minimal rise.
Ireland experienced an annual increase in unemployment by 17,600 individuals, or just over 14%, reaching a total of 141,800 in the first three months of the year. This rise resulted in an unemployment rate of 4.9%, as reported by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in its latest Labour Force Survey.
The most significant decline in employment by economic sector during the first quarter was observed in the information and communication sector, which saw a reduction of 20,300 jobs, or 10.7%. This decrease was primarily attributed to a fall of 16,200 roles in computer programming and consultancy.
Furthermore, the CSO reported 41,300 individuals in long-term unemployment—defined as being unemployed for 12 months or longer—during the first quarter, marking an increase of 15,500 compared to the previous year. Conversely, the total number of people in employment saw a marginal rise of 400, reaching 2,794,500, with no percentage change recorded from the first quarter of last year.
The overall labor force expanded by 18,000 individuals, or 0.6%, to 2,936,300, representing the lowest annual increase in five years. The estimated total number of hours worked per week was 86.3 million hours, a slight decrease of 0.2% compared to the previous year.