Employment rises across all sectors of economy, despite weaker outlook

Employment in all sectors of the State’s economy rose in the 12 months to November with the biggest increase seen in the financial, insurance and real estate sector, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The agency’s new “monthly estimates of payroll employees” uses real-time Revenue data to pinpoint trends in the Irish labour market.

The latest figures show seasonally adjusted employment in the Republic rose by 5.6 per cent in the 12 months to November, a period that corresponded with the reopening of the economy in the wake of Covid.

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All 15 sectors of the economy recorded increases in employment.

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The largest annual increase (+10.6 per cent) was seen in the financial, insurance and real estate activities sector followed by the accommodation and food services activities sector (+10.5 per cent). The arts, entertainment, recreation and other service activities sector saw an annual rise of 2.7 per cent.

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However, employment in this sector was still 3.6 per cent down on the pre-pandemic month of November 2019. It was the only sector where employment remained lower than in pre-pandemic times.

All age groups saw annual growth in employment, the agency said, noting the highest increases were in those aged 65 years and over (+13 per cent) and those aged 60-64 years (+7.9 per cent).

The series differs from the CSO’s traditional Labour Force Survey, which is based on the International Labour Organisation’s definition of employment, and is therefore only a proxy measure of employment.