Irish Jobless Rate Remains Steady At 5.0%

(RTTNews) - Ireland's unemployment rate remained stable for the second straight month in December, preliminary data from the Central Statistics Office showed on Wednesday.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate came in at 5.0 percent in December, the same as in the previous two months. In the corresponding month last year, the rate was 4.8 percent.

The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed rose to 148,700 in December from 147,300 in November. A year ago, it was 129,000.

Ireland's youth unemployment rate, which applies to the 15-24 age group, rose to 14.0 percent from 13.7 percent.