Live Register — Kilkenny
2,541, latest July 2026 (+2.0% year on year).
2,541 people were on the Live Register. 25 years and over accounted for the largest share (2,249, 89%). Next largest was Under 25 years (292). The largest year-on-year movement was Under 25 years, 14% higher (292).
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.
- 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.