30th Sep 2026 11:16
(Alliance News) - Irish retail sales rose in August, while the unemployment rate held steady in September, figures from the Central Statistics Office showed on Wednesday.
The volume of retail sales increased 0.6% month-on-month in August and was 4.3% higher than a year earlier.
Excluding motor trades, retail sales volumes rose 0.2% on the month and 3.0% annually.
The value of retail sales increased 0.4% from July and 5.6% from a year earlier. Excluding motor trades, the value of sales declined 0.1% monthly but rose 4.4% annually.
The largest monthly increases in sales volumes were recorded in furniture & lighting, up 2.6%, clothing, footwear & textiles, up 2.2%, and bars, up 1.9%.
Pharmaceuticals, medical & cosmetic articles recorded the largest monthly decline, falling 4.3%, while fuel sales volumes dropped 2.8%.
All sectors recorded annual volume growth in August, led by department stores at 9.0%, motor trades at 7.0%, and clothing, footwear & textiles at 6.8%.
Separately, Ireland's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.0% in September from August, but edged up from 4.9% a year earlier.
The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed people increased to 149,500 from 148,600 in August and 143,700 in September 2025.
The unemployment rate for men rose to 4.9% in September from 4.8% in August, while the rate for women remained unchanged at 5.2%.
Youth unemployment among people aged 15 to 24 increased to 12.5% from a revised 12.4% in August.
The unemployment rate among those aged 25 to 74 remained unchanged at 4.0%.
By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News senior economics reporter
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