Slight increase in Inishowen unemployment rate last month, latest figures show

The Inishowen unemployment rate recorded a slight increase last month, the latest official data from the Central Statistics Office has revealed.

A total of 1,411 people were signing on the Live Register at the Buncrana social welfare office [Intreo] at the end of June – that’s up 19 claimants from the 1,392 total in May.

The annual jobless figure has decreased by over 6 per cent however, with 91 fewer people claiming Jobseekers payments in Inishowen in June 2025 compared to June 2024.

For the second consecutive month, there are more women than men signing on in Inishowen. Of last month’s 1,411 claimants at Buncrana, 708 were female [51 per cent] compared to 703 males [49 per cent].

The number of young people on the jobless register continues to decline, with fewer than 9 per cent of all local claimants now being aged 25 years and under.

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There were 130 people aged under-25 signing on at Buncrana by the end of June, compared to 1,281 people over that age.

Those without jobs aged 18-24 and living independently are entitled to the full adult weekly rate of €244, while younger claimants living at home get only €153.70 per week.

In terms of gender, there’s an almost 50-50 split when it comes to younger claimants in Inishowen, with 66 males under-25 and 64 females under-25 signing for jobseekers payments in Buncrana in June.

The overall unemployment picture in Inishowen is much brighter now than it was in decades past.

The worst June total was in June 2010, when there 5,149 without work during the midst of the last economic downturn. That’s almost four times the current jobless total.

Meanwhile, there were 7,636 people signing on the Live Register across County Donegal last month, up slightly from 7,454 in May – that’s a monthly increase of just over 2 per cent.