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Labour Force Survey Quarter 1 2023

Employment

LFS estimates were updated on 22nd Feb 2024 to incorporate updated population estimates for the period 2016 Q3 to 2023 Q3, based on the results of Census 2022. LFS results are updated in this way following each Census of Population. For further information see Background Notes.
The data in this publication does not reflect these updates. Please refer to the relevant tables on LFS Px-stat for updated LFS estimates.

Employment

Employment up 53,700 (4.0%) for males and 49,000 (4.2%) for females in the year to Q1 2023

Online ISSN: 2565-5728

CSO statistical publication, 24 May 2023, 11am

73.6%

Employment rate in Q1 2023

- the highest employment rate observed since the series began

Source: CSO Ireland, Labour Force Survey Quarter 1 2023

Numbers Employed

Using standard International Labour Organisation (ILO) criteria, an estimated 2,608,500 persons were in employment in Q1 2023, up 4.1% (102,700) from 2,505,800 in Q1 2022.

The increase of 102,700 (+4.1%) in employment is composed of increases of 53,700 (+4.0%) for males and 49,000 (+4.2%) for females in the year to Q1 2023. See Table 2.1.

See Monthly Estimates of Payroll Employees using Administrative Data Sources outputs for supplementary employment analysis.

Table 2.1 Persons aged 15 years and over classified by Sex and ILO Economic Status

Table 2.1 Persons aged 15 years and over classified by sex and ILO Economic Status
'000
ILO Economic Status		Q1 21	Q4 21	Q1 22	Q2 22	Q3 22	Q4 22	Q1 23
Males
In labour force (Persons aged 15-89)		1,294.1	1,396.2	1,399.8	1,423.4	1,431.2	1,425.7	1,447.4
In employment (Persons aged 15-89)		1,200.6	1,328.1	1,331.0	1,360.2	1,371.8	1,368.5	1,384.7
full-time		1,059.2	1,152.4	1,162.2	1,190.4	1,197.8	1,194.8	1,206.9
part-time		141.4	175.7	168.9	169.8	173.9	173.7	177.9
of which:	part-time, not underemployed	95.4	135.3	131.6	126.0	133.0	135.6	137.7
	part-time, underemployed	46.0	40.4	37.3	43.8	41.0	38.2	40.2
Unemployed (Persons aged 15-74)		93.5	68.1	68.8	63.2	59.4	57.2	62.7
seeking full-time work/future job-starter		75.2	57.1	53.8	49.4	45.9	48.3	49.1
seeking part-time work		11.2	9.0	10.3	9.7	11.2	[6.9]	11.5
seeking work as self-employed		[7.2]	*	*	*	*	*	*
Not in labour force (Persons aged 15+)		671.0	590.2	594.1	582.2	589.6	609.2	602.4
Potential additional labour force		99.2	49.4	38.9	42.3	34.9	27.0	31.6
Others		571.8	540.8	555.2	539.9	554.7	582.2	570.8
Total males aged 15 or over		1,965.2	1,986.4	1,993.9	2,005.5	2,020.8	2,034.9	2,049.8
Unemployment rate % (Persons aged 15-74)		7.3	4.9	5.0	4.5	4.2	4.0	4.4
Participation rate % (Persons aged 15+)		65.9	70.3	70.2	71.0	70.8	70.1	70.6

Females
In labour force (Persons aged 15-89)		1,107.0	1,237.1	1,232.7	1,251.1	1,242.2	1,260.8	1,271.7
In employment (Persons aged 15-89)		1,030.0	1,177.9	1,174.7	1,194.4	1,182.5	1,206.0	1,223.7
full-time		737.7	802.6	810.9	820.1	820.9	825.4	839.9
part-time		292.3	375.3	363.9	374.3	361.6	380.6	383.8
of which:	part-time, not underemployed	230.4	305.5	301.0	303.3	293.3	316.3	313.3
	part-time, underemployed	61.9	69.8	62.9	70.9	68.3	64.3	70.5
Unemployed (Persons aged 15-74)		77.0	59.2	58.0	56.7	59.7	54.8	48.0
seeking full-time work/future job-starter		44.5	33.6	35.4	34.5	35.1	34.2	32.3
seeking part-time work		27.4	23.7	19.6	19.5	23.1	18.0	13.2
seeking work as self-employed		*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Not in labour force (Persons aged 15+)		932.3	821.6	836.9	842.6	865.5	864.1	865.9
Potential additional labour force		111.5	54.1	42.0	42.2	38.2	32.8	46.9
Others		820.8	767.5	794.8	800.4	827.3	831.3	819.0
Total females aged 15 or over		2,039.3	2,058.7	2,069.5	2,093.7	2,107.7	2,124.9	2,137.6
Unemployment rate % (Persons aged 15-74)		7.0	4.8	4.7	4.5	4.8	4.4	3.8
Participation rate % (Persons aged 15+)		54.3	60.1	59.6	59.8	58.9	59.3	59.5

All persons
In labour force (Persons aged 15-89)		2,401.1	2,633.3	2,632.5	2,674.5	2,673.4	2,686.5	2,719.1
In employment (Persons aged 15-89)		2,230.6	2,506.0	2,505.8	2,554.6	2,554.3	2,574.5	2,608.5
full-time		1,796.9	1,955.0	1,973.0	2,010.5	2,018.8	2,020.2	2,046.8
part-time		433.7	551.0	532.8	544.1	535.5	554.3	561.7
of which:	part-time, not underemployed	325.8	440.8	432.6	429.3	426.2	451.9	451.0
	part-time, underemployed	107.9	110.2	100.2	114.7	109.3	102.4	110.7
Unemployed (Persons aged 15-74)		170.5	127.4	126.7	119.9	119.1	112.0	110.7
seeking full-time work/future job-starter		119.7	90.8	89.2	84.0	81.0	82.4	81.3
seeking part-time work		38.6	32.7	30.0	29.2	34.3	25.0	24.7
seeking work as self-employed		12.2	*	[7.6]	[6.7]	*	*	*
Not in labour force (Persons aged 15+)		1,603.4	1,411.8	1,431.0	1,424.8	1,455.1	1,473.3	1,468.3
Potential additional labour force		210.7	103.5	81.0	84.4	73.1	59.9	78.5
Others		1,392.6	1,308.3	1,350.0	1,340.4	1,382.0	1,413.5	1,389.8
Total persons aged 15 or over		4,004.4	4,045.1	4,063.5	4,099.3	4,128.5	4,159.9	4,187.4
Unemployment rate % (Persons aged 15-74)		7.1	4.9	4.8	4.5	4.5	4.2	4.1
Participation rate % (Persons aged 15+)		60.0	65.1	64.8	65.2	64.8	64.6	64.9

Employment rate % (Persons aged 15-64)
Male		70.3	76.9	77.2	78.4	78.8	78.0	78.1
Female		61.0	69.1	68.6	68.8	67.8	68.5	69.2
Total persons		65.6	73.0	72.8	73.5	73.2	73.2	73.6
¹ Estimates for number of persons, where there are less than 30 persons in a cell, are too small to be considered reliable. These estimates are presented with an asterisk (*) in the relevant tables. Where there are 30-49 persons in a cell, estimates are considered to have a wider margin of error and should be treated with caution. These cells are presented with parentheses []. In the case of rates, these limits apply to the denominator used in generating the rate. In the case of annual changes, both the current year and the preceding year are taken into account when deciding whether the estimate should be suppressed or flagged as having a wider margin of error.

Open in Excel: Labour Force Survey Quarter 1 2023 Table 2.1 (XLS 45KB)

60.0%

Employment rate for persons aged 60-64 in Q1 2023

up from a rate of 55.8% in Q1 2022

Source: CSO Ireland, Labour Force Survey Quarter 1 2023

Employment Rates

The employment rate for those aged 15-64 was 73.6% in Q1 2023 compared to 72.8% in Q1 2022 and 65.6% in Q1 2021. In Q1 2023, the employment rate for males aged 15-64 years was 78.1%, compared to 69.2% for females.

Looking at the rates by age group, the employment rate was lowest among those aged 15-19 years (26.8%) and highest among those aged 35-44 years (84.6%). The rate of youth employment, those aged 15-24, stood at 47.2%; slightly higher for males (47.4%) than for females (47.0%). See Tables 2.1 and 2.2.

Table 2.2 Persons aged 15 years and over classified by key Economic Rates, Sex and Age Group

Table 2.2 Persons aged 15 years and over classified by key economic rates, sex, age group and quarter
%
		Employment rate (15-64)			Unemployment rate (15-74)			Participation rate (15+)
		Q1 21	Q1 22	Q1 23	Q1 21	Q1 22	Q1 23	Q1 21	Q1 22	Q1 23
Males
	15-19	17.3	26.6	26.4	17.3	11.5	10.7	20.9	30.1	29.6
	20-24	54.9	70.3	69.8	13.0	5.5	8.3	63.1	74.3	76.1
	Total 15-24 (Youths)	35.6	47.9	47.4	14.1	7.2	9.0	41.5	51.7	52.1
	25-34	78.7	85.2	85.6	8.9	7.0	5.8	86.5	91.6	90.9
	35-44	84.7	89.2	90.9	5.8	4.4	3.5	89.9	93.4	94.2
	45-54	81.6	87.1	89.3	6.0	3.7	2.9	86.8	90.4	92.0
	55-59	74.3	82.4	80.3	6.1	4.7	2.5	79.2	86.4	82.4
	60-64	60.1	66.0	68.4	5.1	2.9	4.4	63.4	67.9	71.6
	65-74	:	:	:	4.4	2.0	1.3	27.0	27.6	29.1
	75+	:	:	:	:	:	:	7.2	8.1	7.9
	Total males	70.3	77.2	78.1	7.3	5.0	4.4	65.9	70.2	70.6

Females
	15-19	11.9	27.5	27.2	34.8	9.0	11.6	18.3	30.2	30.8
	20-24	54.2	68.0	67.7	11.8	7.2	6.5	61.5	73.2	72.4
	Total 15-24 (Youths)	32.6	47.4	47.0	17.3	7.7	8.1	39.4	51.4	51.1
	25-34	73.5	79.5	78.0	5.3	5.5	4.4	77.7	84.1	81.6
	35-44	70.8	78.0	78.7	6.8	4.0	2.4	75.9	81.3	80.6
	45-54	69.7	75.6	76.9	4.5	3.9	2.8	73.0	78.7	79.2
	55-59	62.8	69.9	69.5	6.7	3.5	3.5	67.4	72.4	72.0
	60-64	43.7	46.0	51.9	5.3	3.9	2.6	46.1	47.8	53.3
	65-74	:	:	:	4.5	2.8	4.3	11.0	13.1	13.9
	75+	:	:	:	:	:	:	1.4	2.0	1.5
	Total females	61.0	68.6	69.2	7.0	4.7	3.8	54.3	59.6	59.5

All persons
	15-19	14.7	27.1	26.8	25.3	10.2	11.2	19.6	30.1	30.2
	20-24	54.6	69.1	68.7	12.4	6.3	7.4	62.3	73.8	74.3
	Total 15-24 (Youths)	34.1	47.7	47.2	15.6	7.5	8.6	40.5	51.5	51.6
	25-34	76.1	82.3	81.8	7.2	6.3	5.1	82.0	87.8	86.2
	35-44	77.5	83.4	84.6	6.3	4.2	2.9	82.7	87.1	87.1
	45-54	75.6	81.3	83.0	5.3	3.8	2.9	79.9	84.5	85.4
	55-59	68.5	76.0	74.8	6.4	4.1	3.0	73.2	79.3	77.1
	60-64	51.8	55.8	60.0	5.2	3.3	3.6	54.6	57.7	62.2
	65-74	:	:	:	4.4	2.3	2.3	18.9	20.2	21.3
	75+	:	:	:	:	:	:	3.9	4.7	4.4
	Total persons	65.6	72.8	73.6	7.1	4.8	4.1	60.0	64.8	64.9
¹ : Not applicable

Open in Excel: Labour Force Survey Quarter 1 2023 Table 2.2 (XLS 43KB)

Economic Sector

The economic sectors that saw the largest % year-on-year growth in Q1 2023 were the:

Administrative & Support Service Activities sector which increased by 10,700 or 10.5% in the year to Q1 2023
Wholesale & Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles & Motorcycles sector, which increased by 29,500 or 9.8%
Other NACE activities sector increased by 10,600 or 9.7% in the year to Q1 2023

The largest % decreases in the number of persons in employment in the year to Q1 2023 were in the:

Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing sector, which decreased by 4,400 or -4.3%
Transportation & Storage sector – down 2,600 or -2.3%
Financial, Insurance & Real Estate activities, which fell by 2,800 or -2.1%

See Table 2.3.

Table 2.3 Persons aged 15-89 years in employment (ILO) classified by sex and NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector

Table 2.3 Persons aged 15-89 years in employment (ILO) classified by sex and NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector
'000
Economic sector (NACE Rev.2)		Q1 21	Q4 21	Q1 22	Q2 22	Q3 22	Q4 22	Q1 23
Males
A	Agriculture, forestry and fishing	90.7	92.2	88.1	90.9	82.8	83.4	83.1

B-F	Total Industry	331.7	359.8	363.7	374.2	383.1	372.6	375.8
B-E	Industry	218.7	216.0	216.7	222.4	227.8	226.3	227.9
F	Construction	113.0	143.8	147.0	151.8	155.3	146.3	148.0

G-U	Total Services	776.4	872.6	874.2	890.2	900.7	907.0	921.3
G	Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	163.2	159.6	153.4	164.5	162.8	161.0	169.1
H	Transportation and storage	69.9	82.1	92.0	89.0	87.5	88.5	92.6
I	Accommodation and food service activities	48.1	65.2	67.0	72.9	77.1	85.3	78.8
J	Information and communication	101.8	114.2	114.8	114.8	111.1	108.6	115.2
K-L	Financial, insurance and real estate activities	61.0	71.9	70.3	66.8	69.2	69.6	72.0
M	Professional, scientific and technical activities	78.2	87.4	84.8	90.8	97.6	99.3	94.0
N	Administrative and support service activities	48.7	56.4	58.6	61.0	66.3	59.5	60.4
O	Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	57.2	61.5	61.1	59.1	64.1	67.3	67.0
P	Education	53.0	59.5	56.0	57.3	51.9	53.1	55.4
Q	Human health and social work activities	61.5	65.6	70.9	71.2	70.8	72.2	70.4
R-U	Other NACE activities	33.8	49.3	45.3	42.7	42.4	42.6	46.2
Not stated		*	*	*	[4.8]	*	*	*
Total males		1,200.6	1,328.1	1,331.0	1,360.2	1,371.8	1,368.5	1,384.7

Females
A	Agriculture, forestry and fishing	15.7	14.6	15.5	14.9	11.8	17.3	16.0

B-F	Total Industry	95.3	112.5	110.9	114.3	118.3	113.6	115.2
B-E	Industry	85.7	98.1	98.5	98.8	102.6	96.7	102.4
F	Construction	9.5	14.5	12.3	15.5	15.7	16.9	12.9

G-U	Total Services	917.9	1,046.8	1,046.0	1,061.0	1,047.2	1,071.3	1,089.8
G	Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	140.6	146.4	148.4	156.7	152.5	159.4	162.3
H	Transportation and storage	21.4	23.5	21.2	21.9	21.0	24.6	18.1
I	Accommodation and food service activities	52.1	96.5	95.6	95.3	92.9	85.1	92.5
J	Information and communication	39.3	52.6	48.8	50.1	48.4	56.0	53.4
K-L	Financial, insurance and real estate activities	61.4	60.9	65.0	64.1	58.2	63.1	60.5
M	Professional, scientific and technical activities	68.4	85.8	77.5	75.8	68.2	71.4	72.6
N	Administrative and support service activities	33.1	39.1	43.7	45.0	44.6	50.4	52.5
O	Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	67.1	72.3	72.6	68.1	68.1	70.2	72.2
P	Education	153.6	152.0	154.9	158.2	154.4	151.8	154.7
Q	Human health and social work activities	232.5	254.0	254.3	259.9	265.7	264.3	277.4
R-U	Other NACE activities	48.6	63.7	64.0	65.9	73.2	75.1	73.7
Not stated		*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Total females		1,030.0	1,177.9	1,174.7	1,194.4	1,182.5	1,206.0	1,223.7

All persons
A	Agriculture, forestry and fishing	106.4	106.8	103.5	105.8	94.6	100.8	99.1

B-F	Total Industry	427.0	472.4	474.6	488.4	501.4	486.2	491.1
B-E	Industry	304.5	314.1	315.2	321.1	330.4	323.0	330.2
F	Construction	122.5	158.3	159.3	167.3	171.0	163.2	160.8

G-U	Total Services	1,694.3	1,919.4	1,920.2	1,951.3	1,947.9	1,978.4	2,011.1
G	Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	303.7	306.0	301.9	321.2	315.3	320.3	331.3
H	Transportation and storage	91.3	105.5	113.2	110.9	108.5	113.1	110.7
I	Accommodation and food service activities	100.2	161.7	162.6	168.2	170.0	170.4	171.4
J	Information and communication	141.1	166.8	163.6	164.9	159.5	164.6	168.6
K-L	Financial, insurance and real estate activities	122.5	132.8	135.3	130.9	127.4	132.7	132.5
M	Professional, scientific and technical activities	146.6	173.3	162.3	166.7	165.7	170.7	166.6
N	Administrative and support service activities	81.7	95.5	102.3	105.9	110.9	110.0	113.0
O	Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	124.3	133.8	133.7	127.2	132.2	137.5	139.2
P	Education	206.6	211.5	211.0	215.5	206.3	204.9	210.1
Q	Human health and social work activities	293.9	319.6	325.2	331.1	336.6	336.5	347.8
R-U	Other NACE activities	82.4	113.0	109.3	108.6	115.6	117.7	119.9
Not stated		*	[7.4]	[7.5]	9.1	10.4	[9.2]	[7.2]
Total persons		2,230.6	2,506.0	2,505.8	2,554.6	2,554.3	2,574.5	2,608.5
¹ Estimates for number of persons, where there are less than 30 persons in a cell, are too small to be considered reliable. These estimates are presented with an asterisk (*) in the relevant tables. Where there are 30-49 persons in a cell, estimates are considered to have a wider margin of error and should be treated with caution. These cells are presented with parentheses [].

Open in Excel: Labour Force Survey Quarter 1 2023 Table 2.3 (XLS 45KB)

Employment Status

The number of employees increased by 91,200 (+4.2%) in the year to Q1 2023 to 2,249,200, while the number of self-employed increased by 7,800 (+2.4%) to 333,200.

The increase in overall employment of 102,700 in the year to Q1 2023 was made up of 73,800 (+3.7%) persons in full-time employment and 28,900 (+5.4%) persons in part-time employment. See Tables 2.1 and 2.4.

Table 2.4 Persons aged 15 – 89 years in employment (ILO) classified by sex and employment status

NUTS 3 Regions

Employment increased over the year in all NUTS 3 regions. The South-East region saw the largest percentage increase at 6.3%, followed by the Border region at 6.1%. See Table 2.5.

Table 2.5 Persons aged 15 years and over classified by NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions and ILO Economic Status

Table 2.5 Persons aged 15 years and over classified by NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions and ILO Economic Status
'000
Region		Q1 21	Q4 21	Q1 22	Q2 22	Q3 22	Q4 22	Q1 23
Northern and Western
	In employment ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	390.2	423.1	429.0	436.4	437.2	442.3	450.6
	Unemployed ('000) (Persons aged 15-74)	22.1	18.7	18.3	17.4	22.4	18.1	18.2
	In labour force ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	412.4	441.8	447.3	453.8	459.6	460.4	468.8
	Unemployment rate (%) (Persons aged 15-74)	5.4	4.3	4.1	3.9	4.9	4.0	3.9
	Participation rate (%) (Persons aged 15+)	58.4	61.9	62.3	62.7	62.8	62.5	63.1
Border
	In employment ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	174.7	191.1	193.6	199.3	200.0	201.3	205.4
	Unemployed ('000) (Persons aged 15-74)	[10.0]	[7.4]	[9.8]	[8.0]	11.4	[9.3]	[8.6]
	In labour force ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	184.8	198.5	203.4	207.3	211.4	210.6	214.0
	Unemployment rate (%) (Persons aged 15-74)	5.5	3.8	4.8	3.9	5.4	4.5	4.0
	Participation rate (%) (Persons aged 15+)	56.5	59.9	60.9	61.6	62.0	61.6	62.2
West
	In employment ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	215.5	232.1	235.5	237.1	237.2	241.0	245.2
	Unemployed ('000) (Persons aged 15-74)	12.1	11.2	[8.5]	[9.4]	11.0	[8.8]	[9.6]
	In labour force ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	227.6	243.3	243.9	246.4	248.2	249.8	254.8
	Unemployment rate (%) (Persons aged 15-74)	5.4	4.7	3.5	3.8	4.5	3.6	3.8
	Participation rate (%) (Persons aged 15+)	60.0	63.6	63.5	63.7	63.4	63.3	63.8

Southern
	In employment ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	699.4	799.4	801.0	821.6	822.7	822.3	833.4
	Unemployed ('000) (Persons aged 15-74)	58.1	38.7	36.3	41.9	33.1	34.5	28.5
	In labour force ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	757.5	838.0	837.4	863.5	855.8	856.8	861.9
	Unemployment rate (%) (Persons aged 15-74)	7.7	4.6	4.4	4.9	3.9	4.0	3.3
	Participation rate (%) (Persons aged 15+)	57.1	62.8	62.3	63.7	62.7	62.2	62.2
Mid-West
	In employment ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	206.5	239.7	230.5	245.8	239.5	240.0	241.9
	Unemployed ('000) (Persons aged 15-74)	13.9	11.3	10.3	11.0	11.2	11.0	10.1
	In labour force ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	220.5	250.9	240.8	256.8	250.8	251.0	252.1
	Unemployment rate (%) (Persons aged 15-74)	6.4	4.5	4.3	4.3	4.5	4.4	4.0
	Participation rate (%) (Persons aged 15+)	55.8	63.0	60.3	63.8	61.9	61.3	61.3
South-East
	In employment ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	179.9	205.6	204.4	209.3	216.9	213.5	217.3
	Unemployed ('000) (Persons aged 15-74)	17.5	14.3	12.9	[12.2]	[8.4]	[12.1]	[8.7]
	In labour force ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	197.4	219.9	217.3	221.4	225.3	225.6	226.0
	Unemployment rate (%) (Persons aged 15-74)	8.9	6.5	6.0	5.5	3.8	5.4	3.9
	Participation rate (%) (Persons aged 15+)	55.8	62.0	60.6	61.2	61.8	61.4	61.2
South-West
	In employment ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	313.0	354.1	366.1	366.6	366.3	368.8	374.2
	Unemployed ('000) (Persons aged 15-74)	26.7	13.0	13.1	18.7	13.4	11.4	9.7
	In labour force ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	339.7	367.2	379.2	385.3	379.7	380.1	383.9
	Unemployment rate (%) (Persons aged 15-74)	7.9	3.6	3.5	4.9	3.6	3.0	2.5
	Participation rate (%) (Persons aged 15+)	58.9	63.0	64.8	65.2	63.7	63.2	63.5

Eastern and Midland
	In employment ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	1,140.9	1,283.5	1,275.7	1,296.6	1,294.4	1,309.9	1,324.4
	Unemployed ('000) (Persons aged 15-74)	90.2	70.0	72.1	60.6	63.6	59.4	64.0
	In labour force ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	1,231.2	1,353.5	1,347.8	1,357.2	1,358.0	1,369.4	1,388.5
	Unemployment rate (%) (Persons aged 15-74)	7.3	5.2	5.4	4.5	4.7	4.4	4.6
	Participation rate (%) (Persons aged 15+)	62.4	67.8	67.3	67.2	66.9	66.9	67.4
Dublin
	In employment ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	675.0	768.5	762.8	774.1	771.3	775.5	785.8
	Unemployed ('000) (Persons aged 15-74)	56.7	42.7	46.5	37.3	40.4	37.9	41.8
	In labour force ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	731.7	811.2	809.3	811.4	811.7	813.4	827.6
	Unemployment rate (%) (Persons aged 15-74)	7.8	5.3	5.8	4.6	5.0	4.7	5.1
	Participation rate (%) (Persons aged 15+)	63.1	69.1	68.6	68.4	68.1	67.7	68.4
Mid-East
	In employment ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	328.5	364.2	363.3	369.5	374.3	384.8	381.8
	Unemployed ('000) (Persons aged 15-74)	22.8	20.3	18.2	19.1	15.9	16.1	15.7
	In labour force ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	351.3	384.4	381.5	388.6	390.1	400.8	397.5
	Unemployment rate (%) (Persons aged 15-74)	6.5	5.3	4.8	4.9	4.1	4.0	4.0
	Participation rate (%) (Persons aged 15+)	61.2	66.1	65.4	65.6	65.5	67.0	66.2
Midland
	In employment ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	137.4	150.8	149.7	153.0	148.8	149.7	156.9
	Unemployed ('000) (Persons aged 15-74)	10.8	[7.1]	[7.4]	*	[7.3]	*	*
	In labour force ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	148.2	157.9	157.1	157.2	156.2	155.1	163.4
	Unemployment rate (%) (Persons aged 15-74)	7.3	4.5	4.7	2.7	4.7	3.5	4.0
	Participation rate (%) (Persons aged 15+)	62.1	65.9	65.6	65.0	64.3	63.1	65.7

State
	In employment ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	2,230.6	2,506.0	2,505.8	2,554.6	2,554.3	2,574.5	2,608.5
	Unemployed ('000) (Persons aged 15-74)	170.5	127.4	126.7	119.9	119.1	112.0	110.7
	In labour force ('000) (Perons aged 15-89)	2,401.1	2,633.3	2,632.5	2,674.5	2,673.4	2,686.5	2,719.1
	Unemployment rate (%) (Persons aged 15-74)	7.1	4.9	4.8	4.5	4.5	4.2	4.1
	Participation rate (%) (Persons aged 15+)	60.0	65.1	64.8	65.2	64.8	64.6	64.9
¹ Estimates for number of persons, where there are less than 30 persons in a cell, are too small to be considered reliable. These estimates are presented with an asterisk (*) in the relevant tables. Where there are 30-49 persons in a cell, estimates are considered to have a wider margin of error and should be treated with caution. These cells are presented with parentheses []. In the case of rates, these limits apply to the denominator used in generating the rate. In the case of annual changes, both the current year and the preceding year are taken into account when deciding whether the estimate should be suppressed or flagged as having a wider margin of error.

Open in Excel: Labour Force Survey Quarter 1 2023 Table 2.5 (XLS 43KB)

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Labour Force Survey Quarter 1 2023

Employment

Employment

Employment up 53,700 (4.0%) for males and 49,000 (4.2%) for females in the year to Q1 2023

Numbers Employed

Employment Rates

Economic Sector

Employment Status

NUTS 3 Regions

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Table 2.4 Persons aged 15-89 years in employment (ILO) classified by sex and employment status
'000
Employment status		Q1 21	Q4 21	Q1 22	Q2 22	Q3 22	Q4 22	Q1 23
Males
	Self employed (with paid employees)	58.0	75.9	73.6	78.3	76.5	81.1	73.2
	Self employed (with no paid employees)	154.6	168.0	167.8	181.4	175.7	165.0	175.3
	Total self employed	212.7	243.9	241.4	259.7	252.1	246.1	248.5
	Employee	974.1	1,071.4	1,078.1	1,089.2	1,109.3	1,111.5	1,124.8
	Assisting relative	13.8	12.9	11.6	11.3	10.4	10.9	11.4
	Total males	1,200.6	1,328.1	1,331.0	1,360.2	1,371.8	1,368.5	1,384.7

Females
	Self employed (with paid employees)	18.6	25.0	23.3	21.3	22.9	21.7	23.5
	Self employed (with no paid employees)	49.7	57.6	60.7	59.9	60.2	64.0	61.1
	Total self employed	68.3	82.6	84.0	81.3	83.1	85.7	84.7
	Employee	947.9	1,083.1	1,079.9	1,102.9	1,088.4	1,108.2	1,124.4
	Assisting relative	13.8	12.2	10.9	10.3	11.0	12.1	14.7
	Total females	1,030.0	1,177.9	1,174.7	1,194.4	1,182.5	1,206.0	1,223.7

All persons
	Self employed (with paid employees)	76.6	100.9	96.8	99.7	99.4	102.9	96.8
	Self employed (with no paid employees)	204.3	225.6	228.6	241.3	235.8	229.0	236.4
	Total self employed	281.0	326.5	325.4	341.0	335.2	331.8	333.2
	Employee	1,922.0	2,154.5	2,158.0	2,192.0	2,197.7	2,219.7	2,249.2
	Assisting relative	27.6	25.0	22.4	21.6	21.4	23.0	26.1
	Total persons	2,230.6	2,506.0	2,505.8	2,554.6	2,554.3	2,574.5	2,608.5
¹ Estimates for number of persons, where there are less than 30 persons in a cell, are too small to be considered reliable. These estimates are presented with an asterisk (*) in the relevant tables. Where there are 30-49 persons in a cell, estimates are considered to have a wider margin of error and should be treated with caution. These cells are presented with parentheses [].