Live Register — Cork
16,121, latest July 2026 (+4.1% year on year).
16,121 people were on the Live Register. 25 years and over accounted for the largest share (14,384, 89%). Next largest was Under 25 years (1,737). The largest year-on-year movement was Under 25 years, 7% higher (1,737).
Before you use these figures
- Not a measure of unemployment: The Live Register is a count of people claiming certain social welfare payments, not a count of unemployed people. It includes part-time, seasonal and casual workers who are entitled to benefit, and excludes people who are unemployed but not claiming. CSO's measure of unemployment is the Monthly Unemployment Estimate, which is a different figure.
- Unusually high in February 2026: This area's February 2026 figure is unusually high compared with other areas' own February 2026 figures — 1,486 against a typical figure (median) of about 453 across 25 other areas that period. No longer this dataset's latest period, so the check below would not catch it on its own. Worth checking against the source before treating it as a straightforward trend.
- Counted where the office is, not where the person lives: Claimants are counted at the social welfare office they sign on at, which is not always in the county they live in. Counties whose residents commonly claim across a boundary can therefore read a little high or low.
- Seasonal — compare year on year: The register rises when school and college leavers sign on and falls again as they find work, so month-to-month movement largely tracks the season. Only year-on-year change is flagged for these series.