Employment by main industry (NACE Rev.2) - national accounts in Ireland
Ireland: Employment by main industry (NACE Rev.2) - national accounts was 1.14 million Thousand hours worked in 2026. ▲ Rising
Latest (2026)
1.14 million Thousand hours worked
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
21st
of 40 countries
All-time high
1.16 million Thousand hours worked
in 2025
All-time low
740,981 Thousand hours worked
in 1995
Years of data
32
1995–2026
Employment by main industry (NACE Rev.2) - national accounts in Ireland, 1995–2026
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand hours worked.
Analysis
In 2026, employment by main industry (nace rev.2) - national accounts in Ireland stood at 1.14 million Thousand hours worked.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and up 24.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by main industry (nace rev.2) - national accounts in Ireland peaked at 1.16 million Thousand hours worked in 2025 and was at its lowest, 740,981 Thousand hours worked, in 1995.
Ireland ranks 21st of 40 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Employment by main industry (NACE Rev.2) - national accounts in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Thousand hours worked | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 740,981 Thousand hours worked | — |
| 1996 | 747,497 Thousand hours worked | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 753,911 Thousand hours worked | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 783,409 Thousand hours worked | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 830,440 Thousand hours worked | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 864,110 Thousand hours worked | +4.1% |
| 2001 | 878,561 Thousand hours worked | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 878,407 Thousand hours worked | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 896,555 Thousand hours worked | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 919,082 Thousand hours worked | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 958,858 Thousand hours worked | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 1.00 million Thousand hours worked | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 1.01 million Thousand hours worked | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 944,977 Thousand hours worked | -6.8% |
| 2009 | 805,900 Thousand hours worked | -14.7% |
| 2010 | 767,198 Thousand hours worked | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 774,772 Thousand hours worked | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 786,157 Thousand hours worked | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 828,698 Thousand hours worked | +5.4% |
| 2014 | 862,378 Thousand hours worked | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 866,822 Thousand hours worked | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 914,344 Thousand hours worked | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 968,070 Thousand hours worked | +5.9% |
| 2018 | 999,223 Thousand hours worked | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 1.03 million Thousand hours worked | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 942,438 Thousand hours worked | -8.2% |
| 2021 | 1.04 million Thousand hours worked | +10.7% |
| 2022 | 1.08 million Thousand hours worked | +3.8% |
| 2023 | 1.09 million Thousand hours worked | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 1.13 million Thousand hours worked | +3.7% |
| 2025 | 1.16 million Thousand hours worked | +2.9% |
| 2026 | 1.14 million Thousand hours worked | -2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 771,248 Thousand hours worked | 740,981 Thousand hours worked | 830,440 Thousand hours worked | 5 |
| 2000s | 916,104 Thousand hours worked | 805,900 Thousand hours worked | 1.01 million Thousand hours worked | 10 |
| 2010s | 879,412 Thousand hours worked | 767,198 Thousand hours worked | 1.03 million Thousand hours worked | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.08 million Thousand hours worked | 942,438 Thousand hours worked | 1.16 million Thousand hours worked | 7 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 18 Austria 1.82 million Thousand hours worked compare
- 19 Bulgaria 1.44 million Thousand hours worked compare
- 20 Serbia 1.36 million Thousand hours worked compare
- 22 Denmark 1.12 million Thousand hours worked compare
- 23 Finland 1.06 million Thousand hours worked compare
- 24 Norway 1.02 million Thousand hours worked compare
More work & labour data for Ireland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4574 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4405 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9335 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 4,354 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,447 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,638 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,649 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,286 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by main industry (nace rev.2) - national accounts in Ireland?
- Employment by main industry (nace rev.2) - national accounts in Ireland was 1.14 million Thousand hours worked in 2026, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest employment by main industry (nace rev.2) - national accounts recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.16 million Thousand hours worked in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment by main industry (nace rev.2) - national accounts recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 740,981 Thousand hours worked in 1995.
- How does Ireland rank for employment by main industry (nace rev.2) - national accounts?
- Ireland ranks 21st out of 40 countries with data for 2026.
- Is employment by main industry (nace rev.2) - national accounts rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Employment by main industry (NACE Rev.2) - national accounts - quarterly data. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).