The labour market is a term used to describe the relationship between the workplace (available employment) and the workforce (people, aged 16 and over, who are working or are available to work). A labour market is said to be healthy if there is enough work available for all those who seek it. Most countries in the world have some difficulty achieving or maintaining a healthy labour market.

Recent years have seen a continued growth in employment in Ireland with a additional persons employed over the year. Growth was particularly strong in a number of sectors, including construction, accommodation and food, and education. In terms of occupations, an expansion was evident for those employed in professional occupations, skilled trades (including chefs and construction trades) and personal services (e.g. care workers). An increase in inward migration (including an increase in the number of new employment permits being issued) indicates that Ireland has indeed re-established itself as an attractive place to work.

The following links provide access to the main sources of information from which we determine the state of our labour market. It is worth noting that the predictions and commentries made by economists, researchers and journalists provide information to be considered carefully, but we recommend that any predictions as to the future state of the labour market (2+ years) should be just one factor of many to be considered to guide your choice of career.