The number of people employed in the State has eclipsed 2.8 million for the first time, new figures show.
The latest Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicated employment rose by 63,900 (or 2.3 per cent) to 2.82 million in the second quarter of 2025, according to the Central Statistics Office.
This is equivalent to the entire population of the Republic in 1961.
Despite slowing global demand and increased trade uncertainty linked to US tariffs, the Irish labour market continues to perform strongly with ongoing demand for workers being met by increased levels of immigration and participation.
The CSO said the labour force (the total number of people aged 15-89 years who were either employed or unemployed) stood at 2.95 million in the second quarter, up by 2.5 per cent (73,500) on the same period last year.
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The agency said changes in the labour force are typically influenced by shifts in the size of the working-age population, also known as the demographic effect.
In recent years, this has been driven by immigration, which it said contributed to an increase of 49,200 in the labour force in the year to the second quarter.
Another driver was increased participation (by both men and women), which rose to 66.4 per cent, up from 66 per cent, contributing to a positive participation effect of 24,300.
The estimated total number of hours worked per week in the second quarter increased by 1.6 million hours to stand at 88.9 million.
According to the LFS, the sector that saw the largest year-on-year growth in employment was construction, which rose by 29,600 or 18 per cent.
The largest decrease in employment was in the information and communication sector, which fell by 7,700 people (-4.1 per cent).