Employment Increased 3.3 Percent in 2016
There was an annual increase in employment of 65,100 (3.3%) in 2016, bringing total employment to 2,048,100, according to the Quarterly National Household Survey released by the CSO on Tuesday. This compares with an annual increase of 57,500 (2.9%) in employment in the previous quarter and an increase of 2.3% or 44,100 in the year to Q4 2015.
The increase in total employment of 65,100 in the year to Q4 2016 was represented by an increase in full-time employment of 71,900 (+4.7%) and a decrease in part-time employment of 6,800 (-1.5%).
Unemployment decreased by 40,000 (-21.4%) in 2016, bringing the total number of unemployed people to 147,400. This is the eighteenth quarter in succession where unemployment has declined on an annual basis. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 7.8% to 7.1% over the quarter, while the seasonally adjusted number of persons unemployed decreased by 16,800.
The long-term unemployment rate decreased from 4.7% to 3.6% over the year to Q4 2016. Long-term unemployment accounted for 54.0% of total unemployment in Q4 2016 compared with 54.5% a year earlier and 57.8% in the fourth quarter of 2014.
The total number of persons in the labour force in the fourth quarter of 2016 was 2,195,600, representing an increase of 25,100 (+1.2%) over the year. This compares with an annual labour force increase of 18,000 (+0.8%) in Q4 2015. The number of persons not in the labour force in Q4 2016 was 1,459,300, an increase of 11,200 (+0.8%) over the year.
The full report can be read here.
