Employment Data
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-13
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Niamh Smyth (FF), Cavan-Monaghan

I thank the Deputy. As she will hear in my response, I acknowledge the fact, laid out in the CSO data, that there is a clear rise in youth unemployment, with the unemployment rate pertaining to young people between the ages of 15 and 24 having risen to 14% in quarter 3 of 2025 from 11.5% a year previously. This compares to a more modest rise in unemployment among our older cohort, from 3.4% to 3.9% among those aged 25 to 74. I acknowledge that. However, there is a strong underlying demographic effect within the labour force survey numbers, reflecting high inflows into the labour force from those born in 2007.
The employment rate of those aged 15 to 24 years is more volatile and subject to seasonal fluctuations. The CSO has told us that the 15- to 24-year-old age group accounts for 15% of employment, a ratio that is unchanged in a decade, although that is not to say it is acceptable. However, the same cohort now accounts for nearly one third of unemployment, up a quarter from a decade ago. With regard to graduates or educational attainment, for those aged 15 to 24, unemployment has increased by 9,500 persons but the vast majority of this was accounted for by those with levels of education at secondary level or below.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-13/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-13