DUBLIN, Ireland: The country's unemployment rate increased to five percent in June, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

This is higher than the 4.6 percent unemployment rate recorded in June 2025 and higher than the 4.9 percent recorded in May this year.

For men, the monthly unemployment rate in June 2026 was 4.6 percent. This is slightly higher than 4.5 percent in May 2026, but lower than the revised rate of 4.8 percent in June 2025.

For women, the unemployment rate in June 2026 was 5.4 percent. This increased from 5.3 percent in May 2026 and was also higher than 4.4 percent in June 2025.

The unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24 was 10.8 percent, rising from 9.9 percent in May 2026.

For people aged 25 to 74, the unemployment rate was 4.2 percent, unchanged from May 2026.

Lisa Feist, an economist at the hiring platform Indeed, commented on the latest CSO figures. She said this is the fourth month this year in which unemployment has reached or gone above five percent, after also being five percent in January, February, and March.

She added that the latest data from Indeed's Irish Job Postings Index, which measures employer demand in real time, shows that job postings have continued to fall this year. As of June 19, 2026, postings were 2.3 percent below their level on February 1, 2020, before the pandemic, and have dropped by about 11 percent over the past year.

She said that although Ireland's labor market has stayed strong despite global challenges in recent months, attention has shifted again to local developments in June, including several new workplace laws.

She also noted that Ireland has delayed implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, which was due in June, meaning mandatory salary disclosure is still not in place for jobseekers.

Currently, only 36 percent of job advertisements on Indeed in Ireland show the salary. However, survey data shows that 82 percent of jobseekers say they are more likely to apply for a job if the salary is clearly stated upfront.

She said this gap gives employers an easy opportunity to improve by sharing salary ranges now, even before rules are enforced, helping them build trust with candidates at no extra cost.

Another important development is the approval of the Retirement Age Bill, which could help reduce skills shortages by allowing experienced workers to remain in their jobs longer.

As Ireland's workforce continues to age, measures that encourage more people to remain in the workforce could help employers retain valuable skills and experience, especially at a time when many industries are still struggling to hire workers.