The employment rate for persons aged 15-64 years was 73.8% in Q1 2024.
The number of persons aged 15-89 years in employment increased by 51,500 or 1.9% to 2,704,200 persons in the 12 months to Q1 2024. The annual change of 1.9% is the lowest annual increase in three years.
There were 115,200 unemployed people aged 15-74 years in Q1 2024 using International Labour Organisation (ILO) criteria, with an associated unemployment rate for those aged 15-74 of 4.1%, up from 4.0% in Q1 2023.
The unemployment rate among those aged 15-24 years (the youth unemployment rate) was 8.8% in Q1 2024, up from 8.6% in Q1 2023.
The estimated Labour Force (i.e. the sum of all persons aged 15-89 years who were either employed or unemployed) stood at 2,819,400 in Q1 2024, a rise of 2.0% (55,400) from Q1 2023.
The estimated participation rate in Q1 2024 was 65.0%, unchanged from Q1 2023.
The estimated total number of hours worked per week in Q1 2024 decreased by 0.1 million hours or 0.2% on Q1 2023 figures to 85.4 million hours.
The headline table shows the numbers and rates for employed and unemployed persons. It also shows those working in the labour force and not in the labour force. It highlights the annual change to Q1 2024.
| Table 1.1 Labour Force Survey Summary Results | ||
| Indicator | Q1 2024 | Annual change 1 |
| Employed persons aged 15-89 years | 2,704,200 | +51,500 |
| Employment rate for those aged 15-64 years | 73.8% | +2.0 pp |
| Unemployed persons aged 15-74 years | 115,200 | +3,900 |
| Unemployment rate for those aged 15-74 years | 4.1% | +0.1 pp |
| In labour force | 2,819,400 | +55,400 |
| Not in labour force | 1,516,300 | 28,300 |
| 1 pp refers to percentage point change | ||
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a continuous household survey carried out by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and is the official source for employment and unemployment estimates in Ireland.
The official labour market classification of respondents to the LFS is based on International Labour Organisation (ILO) concepts and definitions.
All European Union (EU) Member States are legally obliged to carry out a Labour Force Survey and to provide these data to Eurostat on a quarterly basis, as set out in the Integration of European Social Statistics (IESS) framework regulation (EU 2019/1700) and Implementing Regulation (EU 2019/2240), which apply from 01 January 2021.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (23 May 2024) issued results from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for Q1 2024.
Commenting on today’s publication, Colin Hanley, Statistician in the Labour Market & Earnings Division, said: “The estimated number of people in employment in the first quarter of 2024 stood at 2,704,200, up 1.9% compared with a year ago.
Employment
The 1.9% increase in the number of people in employment in the year to Q1 2024 was equivalent to 51,500 more people working than 12 months earlier.
An estimated 573,400 or 21.2% of those in employment worked part-time - and 21.8 % of those in part-time employment were classified as underemployed (i.e. they would like to work more hours for more pay).
In the year to Q1 2024 the age group with the highest employment rate was the 35-44 year-old group (83.9%), which was down 0.6 percentage points from the 84.5% recorded a year previously. The lowest employment rate by age was observed in the 15-19 year old cohort at 26.3%. The largest increase in employment rate was observed in the 25-34 year-old group – up 1.5 percentage points to 83.4%.
Hours Worked
The estimated average number of hours worked in Quarter 1 2024 was 85.4 million hours per week, which was 100,000 fewer hours worked per week when compared with Q1 2023.
The year-on-year change in hours worked varied across the different economic sectors. The Professional, Scientific & Technical sector saw an additional 700,000 hours worked when compared with Q1 2023. The largest sectoral decreases in hours worked were in the Industry (B-E) sector and Human Health & Social Work, both down 400,000 hours.
Unemployment
The number of persons aged 15-74 years who were unemployed in Q1 2024 stood at 115,200, with an associated Unemployment Rate of 4.1%. The Youth Unemployment Rate (15-24 year-olds) stood at 8.8% in Q1 2024, up from the rate of 8.6% recorded 12 months earlier.
There were 28,800 people in long-term unemployment (unemployed for 12 months or longer) in Q1 2024. This was a decrease of 3,400 people from Q1 2023. The corresponding rate of long-term unemployment was 1.0%, down from 1.2% a year earlier.”
Survey Participation
Commenting on the importance of sampled individuals taking part in the LFS, Colin Hanley added: “Sampled households receive introductory letters by post asking them to take part in the Labour Force Survey (LFS). A person from a participating household completes the interview either by telephone or by a CSO interviewer visiting the household.
Household surveys give us a picture of the economic and social situation of the citizens of Ireland with a level of accuracy that no one else can gain. If you are asked to take part in a CSO survey, please do so. We count on you to take part in our surveys, and you can count on us to provide accurate statistics that reflect our society.”