Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Ireland
Ireland: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 9.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Ireland, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 9.6% for share of workers in vulnerable employment in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 24.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Ireland peaked at 21.0% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 9.6%, in 2025.
That places Ireland 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.8% | 16.0% | 21.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.0% | 12.8% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.5% | 10.4% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.2% | 9.6% | 10.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More work & labour data for Ireland
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 70.1% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 85.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 59.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 77.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 81.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 73.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in vulnerable employment in Ireland?
- Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Ireland was 9.6% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 21.0% in 1992.
- What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.6% in 2025.
- How does Ireland rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
- Ireland ranks 151st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in vulnerable employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of employed population who are working as independent own-account workers (self-employed without staff), or contributing family workers (self-employed in a household business or farm).