Public employment in Ireland
Ireland: Public employment was 2,234 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Public employment in Ireland, 2008–2023
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for public employment in Ireland is 2,234, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 44.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public employment in Ireland peaked at 2,234 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,494, in 2010.
That places Ireland 30th out of 47 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Public employment in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1,748 | — |
| 2009 | 1,546 | -11.6% |
| 2010 | 1,494 | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 1,500 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 1,497 | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 1,548 | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 1,609 | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 1,662 | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 1,735 | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 1,795 | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 1,868 | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 1,947 | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 1,900 | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 2,092 | +10.1% |
| 2022 | 2,154 | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 2,234 | +3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,647 | 1,546 | 1,748 | 2 |
| 2010s | 1,666 | 1,494 | 1,947 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,095 | 1,900 | 2,234 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 27 Finland 2,739 compare
- 28 Slovakia 2,430 compare
- 29 New Zealand 2,290 compare
- 31 Costa Rica 2,095 compare
- 32 South Africa 1,976 compare
- 33 Croatia 1,684 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 public employment in Ireland?
- Public employment in Ireland was 2,234 in 2023, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest public employment recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2,234 in 2023.
- What is the lowest public employment recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,494 in 2010.
- How does Ireland rank for public employment?
- Ireland ranks 30th out of 47 countries with data for 2023.
- Is public employment rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Public employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The total public sector employment covers all employment of general government sector as defined in System of National Accounts 1993 plus employment of publicly owned enterprises and companies, resident and operating at central, state (or regional) and local levels of government. It covers all persons employed directly by those institutions, without regard for the particular type of employment contract. See the working paper: Statistics on Public Sector Employment: Methodology, Structures and Trends. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.