During the second quarter of 2026, the Labour Force Survey estimates that the total number of persons in employment was 339,935, 3.4 per cent higher when compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
Labour status
The Labour Force Survey estimates indicated that, during the second quarter of 2026, total employment stood at 339,935, accounting for 65.9 per cent of the population aged 15 and over. The number of unemployed persons stood at 11,431 (2.2 per cent) while inactive persons totalled 164,136 (31.8 per cent). The activity rate for the quarter under review was estimated at 82.8 per cent with the highest rate being recorded among persons aged 25 to 54 (92.1 per cent).
The employed population
On average, out of every 100 persons aged between 15 and 64 years, 80 were employed. The male employment rate for this age bracket was 85.1 per cent while that for females stood at 73.9 per cent. The largest share of employed persons was recorded among those aged 25-34 years, closely followed by those aged 35-44 years.
Self-employed persons accounted for 13.5 per cent of all persons with a main job. The majority of employed persons worked on a full-time basis, amounting to 299,994 persons. A further 39,941 had a part-time job as their primary employment. In the second quarter of 2026, employed persons worked an average of 35.3 hours per week, 0.2 hours more than in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Results show that, on average, full-timers worked 37.3 hours while part-timers worked 20.5 hours per week.
The average monthly basic salary for employees for the second quarter of 2026 was estimated at €2,282. The highest basic salary by sector was recorded in the Financial and insurance activities sector (€3,021). Average monthly salaries varied by occupation, from €1,412 among persons employed in elementary occupations to €3,657 among managers.
The unemployed and inactive population
The unemployment rate for the second quarter of 2026 stood at 3.3 per cent. Females accounted for 57.9 per cent of total inactive persons and those over 65 years made up the highest share of the inactive. The main reason for inactivity was reaching retirement age or taking up early retirement (41.7 per cent).
Education attainment
Among the total population aged 15 years and over, 36.9 per cent had attained a secondary level of education or less. By contrast, 41.1 per cent of employed persons within the same age group had attained a tertiary level of education.
