The register is not an accurate barometer of unemployment as people with part-time work can be entitled to benefits. Two hundred people came off the live register in February to bring the total number down to 170,700, data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows. The unadjusted live register total stood at 169,507 people for February, of which 56.6 per cent were men and 71.1 per cent were Irish. The 25-34-year-old age group made up the largest number of those on the live register in February at 40,351 people, or 23.8 per cent of the total. How the conflict in the Middle East is already affecting Irish consumers Listen | 36:47There were 116,328 people on the live register for less than one year, which was 7,682 more people (up 7.1 per cent) than in February 2025.

Source: The Irish Times March 06, 2026 17:49 UTC