WEALTH February 19, 2026 0 Comments

Employment Surges 2% in 2025—But What This Spike Really Means for Your Wallet and Future Opportunities Could Shock You!

Employment climbed by a solid 2% last year, putting an extra 56,700 people on the job market—and that pushes the total workforce to a hefty 2.83 million in the state. Sounds promising, right? But here’s the kicker: unemployment also crept up, hitting 4.4% despite the growth. It’s like watching a tug-of-war where both sides are gaining ground at once. What’s driving these mixed signals—more job seekers entering the fray, shifting economic tides, or something else entirely? And while the 45-54 age group flexes the highest employment rate at over 85%, our youngest workers—those 15 to 19—are barely scraping a quarter employed. Oh, and if you thought working from home was here to stay forever, think again—remote work numbers actually dipped, while office-based roles surged past pre-pandemic levels. Intrigued by how these workforce shifts are reshaping our economic landscape? Let’s dive deeper. LEARN MORE

Employment rose by 2% or 56,700 people last year and there are now 2.83m people in work in the state, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has said.

The employment rate for people aged 15-64 was 74.5%, up from 74.3% in the final quarter of 2024.

The number of people aged 15-74 in unemployment increased 10.4% to 128,200 in 2025, and the unemployment rate jumped from 4% to 4.4% as a result.

The estimated labour force, ie the sum of all people aged 15-89 who were either employed or unemployed, stood at 2.96m, up 2.4% or 68,800 from a year earlier.

The estimated labour market participation rate in Q4 2025 was 65.8%, up from 65.5% in Q4 2024, and the total number of hours worked per were was 88.1% up 2.5m or 2.9% year-on-year.

“The 2.0% rise in the number of people in employment in the 12 months to Q4 2025 was equivalent to 56,700 more people working than a year earlier,” said Colin Hanley, statistician in the labour market & earnings analysis division of the CSO.

“An estimated 582,600 or 20.6% of those in employment worked part-time, and 121,300 or 20.8% of those in part-time employment were classified as underemployed (i.e. they would like to work more hours for more pay).

“In the 12 months to Q4 2025 the age group with the highest employment rate was the 45-54 years age group (85.3%), which was up 1.7 percentage points from the 83.6% recorded a year previously. The lowest employment rate by age was observed in the 15-19-year-old cohort at 25.5%.

“The largest increase in employment by economic sector was in Industry (B-E), which rose by 22,000 people (+6.6%). The largest decrease in employment was in Information & Communication, down by 12,700 people (-7.0%).”

The number of people working from home declined by 15,900 or 1.6% to 956,700. At the same time, those that never worked from home rose by 74,200 or 4.1% to 1.87m, exceeding the pre-pandemic level for the first time.

(Pic: Getty Images)