On the 4th March, 2026, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published the Monthly Unemployment (MU) figures for February 2026. The Monthly Unemployment figures are estimated using trends in the Live Register figures based on data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and are subject to revision. The Labour Force Survey is published on a quarterly basis by the CSO and provides the official employment and unemployment figures.
According to the latest Monthly Unemployment figures, 137,500 people are unemployed in February 2026, an increase of 6.4% on February 2025. The Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) is 4.6%, an increase of 0.2 percentage points (ppts).
The Monthly Unemployment Rate for men increased by 0.3 percentage points to 4.7%, and for women it decreased by 0.1 ppts to 4.4%. Of the 137,500 unemployed, 45.5%, or 62,500, are women.
Young People
In February 2026, 47,300 people aged 15-24yrs are unemployed, 6,100 more young people than in February 2025, an 14.8% total increase. This age group accounts for 34.4% of all unemployed people. Their MUR is 12.4%, a 1.1 percentage point increase in one year. Over the year, unemployment rates amongst young men have increased by 2.8 percentage points; their MUR has increased to 13.2%. Unemployment rates amongst young women decreased by 0.8 percentage points while their unemployment rate is 11.5%. In February 2025, women account for 44.4% of those unemployed in this age category.
People Aged 25-74yrs
The Monthly Unemployment figure for people aged 25-74yrs is 90,200 in February 2026, an increase of 2.4% since February 2025. Their Monthly Unemployment Rate (MUR) is 3.5% in February 2026, an increase of 0.1 percentage points over the year. In this age category the unemployment rate has decreased by 0.1 ppts to 3.5% for men over the year. Unemployment rates for women increased by 0.1 ppts to 3.4%. Women account for 46.0% of those unemployed in this age category.