The COVID-19 crisis has continued to have a significant impact on the labour market in Ireland in April 2020. According to the CSO, while the standard measure of Monthly Unemployment was 5.4 per cent in April 2020, the COVID-19 Adjusted Measure of Unemployment could indicate a rate as high as 28.2 per cent if all claimants of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment were classified as unemployed. This figure marks the country’s highest ever rate of unemployment.

The latest figures also show that the Adjusted Measure of Unemployment stood at 30 per cent for men and 26 per cent for women. The youth jobless rate stood at over 52 per cent, while it was over 24 per cent for persons aged 25 years and over.