CSO has issued results from the Labour Force Survey for Q1 2022

people lining up outside social welfare office
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has issued results from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for Q1 2022.
  • The employment rate for persons aged 15-64 in Q1 2022 was 72.8%, up from 65.6% in Q1 2021
  • The number of absences from work (e.g., temporary layoffs from work, family leave and holidays) during the reference week in Q1 2022 was 168,100, the lowest level since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • In the year to Q1 2022, there was a 17.6% rise in the number of hours worked per week
  • This 17.6% rise in the number of hours worked per week equates to an extra 12.1 million hours in the year to Q1 2022, bringing the number of hours worked per week to a record high of 80.8 million
  • There were 126,700 persons classified as unemployed in Q1 2022 with an associated Unemployment Rate of 4.8% for those aged 15-74 years
Statistician, Sam Scriven, said: “The number of persons aged 15-89 years in employment increased by 275,200 or 12.3% to 2,505,800 persons in the year to Q1 2022. The unadjusted employment rate for persons aged 15-64 years was 72.8%. Employment increased in the year to Q1 2022 across most economic sectors with the largest increase in the Accommodation & Food Service (+62.2% or +62,400) sector. However, employment in the sector of 162,600 remains below the Q1 2020 level of 169,500.