Minister Burke welcomes ongoing employment resilience

Yesterday, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke presented a Memo to Government on Labour Market Developments in the Irish economy. The Programme for Government sets out a strong enterprise framework prioritising economic and employment growth, with a target of creating 300,000 extra jobs by 2030.

Ireland’s labour market continues to perform strongly, with record employment of over 2.8 million last year, rising participation, and sustained growth. This reflects the resilience of the economy and the success of government policies in supporting job creation, fostering innovation, and providing opportunities across sectors.

The latest CSO monthly unemployment release shows an unemployment rate at 5.0% in December 2025, unchanged from November. While activity rates have softened slightly in recent quarters, the economy continues to add jobs at a healthy rate. The Department of Finance and the Central Bank anticipate that unemployment will remain around 5% on average in 2026 and 2027, which is close to full employment conditions.

Commenting on the Memo, the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, said:

“The Irish labour market continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience, underpinned by strong employment levels and adaptability across sectors. The Government remains fully committed to improving Ireland’s competitive position and to adding more jobs in the future, while supporting our workforce to be agile. There are now 2.82 million people employed in our economy and our long-term unemployment level is just 1%. The Programme for Government is clear in our ambition to create 300,000 extra jobs by 2030, which will provide opportunities for people right across our country.”