Employment rose in February, CSO finds

The monthly employee index rose by 0.1% in February 2026, according to new figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The data was from monthly estimates of Payroll Employees, using administrative data.

When it came to the actual number of employees in the Republic of Ireland, there were 2,591,900 employees in February 2026.

This was up from 2,533,400 employees in February 2025, an annual increase of 2.3%, the last time there was an annual decrease was in March 2021. In terms of gender, both male and female figures increased by 0.1%.

The largest monthly increase was seen in those aged 55 to 64, representing a rise of 0.3%.

In terms of specific sectors, the largest decrease was in construction (0.5%), and Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles (0.5%).

Speaking on the findings, Kevin Healy, Statistician in the Labour Market and Earnings Division, said: “Five NACE sectors saw a monthly increase in the numbers employed in February 2026, six sectors showed a decrease, while four sectors remained unchanged.

“The largest monthly fall was in Construction, and Wholesale & Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles & Motorcycles (-0.5%). The largest monthly rise was in Public Administration & Defence; Compulsory Social Security (+0.6%).

“The 35-44 years age category saw the largest monthly drop in employees in February 2026 (-0.2%). The annual index increased by 2.3% between February 2025 and February 2026.”