The employment rate for persons aged 15-64 years was 74.4% in Q2 2024, up 0.2 percentage points from 74.2% a year earlier.
The number of persons aged 15-89 years in employment increased by 71,500 or 2.7% to 2,754,200 persons in the 12 months to Q2 2024.
There were 131,200 unemployed people aged 15-74 years in Q2 2024 using International Labour Organisation (ILO) criteria, with an associated unemployment rate for those aged 15-74 years of 4.6%, up from 4.4% in Q2 2023.
The estimated Labour Force (i.e. the sum of all persons aged 15-89 years who were either employed or unemployed) stood at 2,885,400 in Q2 2024, a rise of 2.9% (80,500) from Q2 2023.
The estimated participation rate in Q2 2024 was 66.0%, up from 65.7% in Q2 2023. The female participation rate of 61.4% in Q2 2024 is the highest recorded since the series began.
The estimated total number of hours worked per week in Q2 2024 increased by 1.7 million hours or 2.0% on Q2 2023 figures to 87.3 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 Q2 2024.
| Table 1.1 Labour Force Survey Summary Results | ||
| Indicator | Q2 2024 | Annual change 1 |
| Employed persons aged 15-89 years | 2,754,200 | +71,500 |
| Employment rate for those aged 15-64 years | 74.4% | +0.2 pp |
| Unemployed persons aged 15-74 years | 131,200 | +9,100 |
| Unemployment rate for those aged 15-74 years | 4.6% | +0.2 pp |
| In labour force | 2,885,400 | +80,500 |
| Not in labour force | 1,484,600 | +19,500 |
| 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 (22 August 2024) issued results from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for Quarter 2 2024.
Commenting on today’s release, Colin Hanley, Statistician in the Labour Market & Earnings Division, said: “The estimated number of people in employment in the second quarter of 2024 stood at 2,754,200, up 2.7% compared with a year ago.
Employment
The 2.7% increase in the number of people in employment in the 12 months to Q2 2024 was equivalent to 71,500 more people working than a year earlier.
An estimated 571,600 or 20.8% of those in employment worked part-time, and 24.8% of those in part-time employment were classified as underemployed (i.e. they would like to work more hours for more pay).
In the 12 months to Q2 2024 the age group with the highest employment rate was those aged 35-44 years (84.7%), which was down 0.8 percentage points from the 85.5% recorded a year previously. The lowest employment rate by age was observed in the 15-19 year old cohort at 27.3%. The largest annual increase in employment rate was observed in the 25-34 year old group, which was up 1.7 percentage points to 84.3%.
The largest decrease in employment by economic sector was in Wholesale & Retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (-7.3%), followed by Construction (-6.8%). The largest increase was in Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities which rose by 12.7%.
Hours Worked
The estimated average number of hours worked in Quarter 2 2024 was 87.3 million hours per week, which was 1.7 million more hours worked per week when compared with Q2 2023.
The year-on-year change in hours worked varied across the different economic sectors. The Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities sector saw an additional 1 million hours worked when compared with Q2 2023. The largest sectoral decrease in hours worked was in the Wholesale & Retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles down 900,000 hours.
Unemployment
The number of persons aged 15-74 years who were unemployed in Q2 2024 stood at 131,200, with an associated Unemployment Rate of 4.6%.
There were 26,900 people in long-term unemployment (unemployed for 12 months or longer) in Q2 2024, 5,400 fewer people than Q2 2023. The corresponding rate of long-term unemployment was 0.9%, 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.”