Youth unemployment remains nearly three times higher than national rate, CSO figures show

Eva Osborne

Ireland’s youth unemployment rate continues to far outpace the national average, according to labour market data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for 15 to 24-year-olds stood at 13.4 per cent in November 2025, unchanged from October.

This compares with a national unemployment rate of just 4.9 per cent, highlighting a stark divide between young workers and the wider labour force.

By contrast, people aged 25-74 recorded a much lower unemployment rate of 3.7 per cent, down slightly from 3.8 per cent in October.

Overall, the national unemployment rate edged down from 5 per cent in October to 4.9 per cent in November, though it remains higher than the 4.2 per cent recorded in November 2024.

Differences by sex

The CSO figures show only slight gender variation in unemployment rates:

• Male unemployment: 4.9 per cent in November, down from 5 per cent in October.
• Female unemployment: 5 per cent in November, unchanged from the previous month.

The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed people fell to 144,400 in November, down from 147,100 in October.

This remains 23,200 higher than in November 2024.

• Unemployed males decreased to 75,000.
• Unemployed females decreased to 69,400.