The country’s unemployment rate rose to 4.2 per cent in December, up from 4.1 per cent in November, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Despite the monthly increase, the December figure represents a decline compared to the 4.5 per cent unemployment rate recorded in December 2023.
The CSO highlighted that the unemployment rate for men increased marginally to 4.2 per cent in December, up from 4.1 per cent in the previous month. However, this figure reflects an improvement over the 4.3 per cent recorded in December 2023.
Similarly, the unemployment rate for women remained steady at 4.2 per cent in December, unchanged from a revised rate in November. On an annual basis, the figure shows a drop from 4.6 per cent in December 2023, indicating progress in women’s employment levels over the past year.
Youth unemployment, however, showed a notable rise, increasing to 11.6 per cent in December compared to a revised rate of 11.2 per cent in November.
Seasonally adjusted figures reveal that the number of unemployed individuals stood at 121,700 in December, compared with 120,300 in November 2024.