Written answers
Tuesday, 7 October 2025
Department of An Taoiseach
Employment Data
Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach the number of persons recorded as unemployed for 12 months or more; of those, the numbers unemployed for 24 months or more and those unemployed for at least three years, four years and five years. [53079/25]
Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The exact information requested by the Deputy is not available.
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is the official source of labour market estimates for the State. The most recent LFS figures available are for Q2 2025.
Table 1 contains LFS estimates for unemployed persons broken down by duration of unemployment from Q2 2015 to Q2 2025.
In Q2 2025, there were 31,800 persons in the State in long-term unemployment (one year or longer). Of this number, 17,100 persons were in unemployment for two years or longer; and 8,400* persons were in unemployment for four years or longer.
*This estimate should be treated with caution as it is based on a low number of observations – see footnote in Table 1.
Table 1 Unemployed persons (ILO) 15-74 yrs by duration of unemployment, Q2 2015 - Q2 2025, 000s
| - | 000s | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2 2015 | Q2 2016 | Q2 2017 | Q2 2018 | Q2 2019 | Q2 2020 | Q2 2021 | Q2 2022 | Q2 2023 | Q2 2024 | Q2 2025 | |
| Unemployed for less than one year | 103.6 | 101.3 | 79.0 | 90.5 | 87.8 | 92.5 | 126.5 | 84.1 | 84.6 | 99.4 | 105.0 |
| Unemployed for one year or more | 124.9 | 102.1 | 73.8 | 48.9 | 41.1 | 25.8 | 50.3 | 31.7 | 32.3 | 26.9 | 31.8 |
| Unemployed for two years or more | 91.6 | 69.9 | 51.4 | 32.1 | 25.0 | 12.5 | 17.8 | 21.5 | 20.6 | 13.5 | 17.1 |
| Unemployed for four years or more | 51.8 | 45.5 | 28.0 | 19.1 | 12.7 | [7.5] | [10.8] | [6.4] | 11.1 | [8.6] | [8.4] |
| Not stated | 5.5 | 7.9 | 7.9 | [6.4] | * | * | [9.6] | * | * | * | * |
| All unemployed persons | 234.1 | 211.3 | 160.8 | 145.9 | 132.2 | 122.6 | 186.4 | 121.1 | 122.2 | 131.2 | 140.8 |
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values or estimates of change.
Estimates for number of persons, where there are less than 30 persons in a cell, are too small to be considered reliable. These estimates are presented with an asterisk (*) in the relevant tables. Where there are 30-49 persons in a cell, estimates are considered to have a wider margin of error and should be treated with caution. These cells are presented with parentheses []. In the case of rates, these limits apply to the denominator used in generating the rate. In the case of annual changes, both the current year and the preceding year are taken into account when deciding whether the estimate should be suppressed or flagged as having a wider margin of error.
Data may be subject to future revision.
Reference period: q2 Apr-Jun.
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