Minister Humphreys and Minister Coveney announce lowest levels of unemployment in over 20 years
- Published on: 5 May 2023
- Last updated on: 8 June 2023
- Following Monthly Unemployment release published this morning by the CSO.
- Monthly Unemployment rate for April 2023 was 3.9%.
- Lowest unemployment rates since records began in 1998.
- Breaking the 4% barrier which is commonly taken as the level of full employment.
Today the CSO released the monthly unemployment data for April, which at 3.9% is the lowest level seen in 22 years since April 2001. This builds on the most recent Labour Force Survey (Q4, 2022) which reported that there are now over 2.57 million people in employment in the State, the highest recorded number since the series began in 1998.
These figures demonstrate that the labour market is performing well, and exceeding many expectations, following the recent significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The public employment services infrastructure that was developed during the recession with the establishment of Intreo ensures that appropriate supports are actively provided to jobseekers to help find employment.
Intreo and Intreo partners actively engage with jobseekers through the provision of job search support, referrals to relevant training programmes and access to employment and education programmes.
As the economy has likely reached full employment, it is important to focus on improving employment outcomes for groups that face barriers in accessing the labour market
Pathways to Work 2021 - 2025, the national employment services strategy, contains 83 commitments across 5 strands of action to support unemployed people and under-represented groups in securing and sustaining quality employment. An annual report on the progress in implementing Pathways commitments is produced by the Labour Market Advisory Council. A Mid-Term Review of the strategy is currently underway to ensure that the strategy remains relevant and reflects the current labour context.
The work of the Department and service partners is evident in the Construction Jobs and Skills week currently underway organised by the Department of Social Protection. Over 35 events are planned, at which employers will be actively recruiting for jobs in the construction sector. The events will include options for training that Education and Training Boards around the country can offer to include advice on training and apprenticeship opportunities.
CSO Monthly Unemployment release can be accessed here
Commenting, Minister Humphreys said:
"I welcome these figures of yet another fall in the live register, remarkably, now under 4%, which is the lowest in over 20 years. While these figures are testament to the efforts that this Government has made to providing a range of supports to businesses, the self-employed and people out of work, we will continue to work closely with employers and jobseekers to give them the opportunity to create jobs and find work.”
Commenting, Minister Coveney said:
"Today’s unemployment figures are definitive proof of the success of the Government’s post-pandemic Economic Recovery Plan, published in mid-2021 - our unemployment rate is at a record low and employment at a record high. Through the recently published White Paper on Enterprise, our ambition over the coming years is to build upon the strong economy and enterprise sector that has delivered this historically low level of unemployment. In the coming weeks my Department will publish the first of consecutive two year Implementation Plans for the White Paper, focussing on key cross government initiatives that will ensure the continued resilience of our enterprise base and labour market.
Notes to Editor:
• The unemployment rate for males was 4.3% and 3.6% for females.
• The seasonally adjusted number of persons unemployed was 108,200.
The methodology for the Monthly Unemployment Estimates involves forecasting the number of persons who are unemployed using the trend in the recipient Live Register series.
The Department of Social Protection is providing Working Age Income supports to people arriving in Ireland from Ukraine under the Temporary Protection Directive.
The Live Register series includes recipients of these supports who have met the relevant criteria. This has impacted on the numbers of unemployed, primarily females, in these monthly estimates.
Data in this release are subject to revision based on updates to the seasonally adjusted series whenever new monthly data are added. In addition, it should be noted that larger revisions can occur when the most recent Labour Force Survey (LFS) data are included in the calculation process.
The Monthly Unemployment Estimates published today for April 2023 have incorporated the LFS benchmarks up to Q1 2023 for the monthly estimates up to March 2023 while the estimates for April 2023 have been forecasted.