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Subjects · Leaving Cert Economics

Leaving Cert Economics: Labour force & unemployment

How often Labour force & unemployment comes up on the Economics papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.

HL Asked on 4 of the last 5 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

OL Asked on 4 of the last 5 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

Labour force & unemployment, Higher Level(8 marks)

Quick ones on Labour force & unemployment.

(a)Which CSO survey is the official measure of unemployment in Ireland?
  1. Live Register
  2. Labour Force Survey (LFS)
  3. Household Budget Survey
(b)Why does the Live Register tend to overstate unemployment?
  1. It counts only the long-term unemployed
  2. It excludes everyone under 25
  3. It includes some part-time and seasonal workers
(c)A country's labour force is 2.5 million and 125,000 are unemployed. What is the unemployment rate?
  1. 5%
  2. 20%
  3. 50%
Show the answers

(a) Labour Force Survey (LFS)

(b) It includes some part-time and seasonal workers

(c) 5%

Your turn: Higher Level questions on Labour force & unemployment.

Higher Level

Asked on 4 of the last 5 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Q14
2024Q2, Q13
2023Q11, Q14
2022Q5
2021Not asked

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Labour force & unemployment questions

Labour force & unemployment, 3 marks

Why does an ageing population concern policy-makers?

  1. It lowers demand for health care and nursing homes
  2. It increases the size of the labour force, so tax revenue rises
  3. A higher dependency ratio raises pension and health costs
Show the answer

A higher dependency ratio raises pension and health costs

Fewer workers support each retired person, so tax revenue per pensioner falls while spending on pensions and health rises.

Labour force & unemployment, 2 marks

The CSO counts a person as long-term unemployed once they have been unemployed for…

  1. Five years or more
  2. A year or more
  3. A month or more
Show the answer

A year or more

Long-term unemployment (12 months or more) is especially harmful: skills and confidence fade and it becomes harder to get back into work.

Labour force & unemployment, 3 marks

Which policy best tackles structural unemployment?

  1. Retraining and upskilling programmes
  2. Cutting interest rates to boost demand
  3. Raising jobseeker's payments for all
Show the answer

Retraining and upskilling programmes

Structural unemployment comes from a mismatch between workers' skills or location and the jobs available, so the fix is training and mobility. Rate cuts target cyclical unemployment.

Ordinary Level

Asked on 4 of the last 5 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Q7
2024Q12, Q16
2023Q1
2022Q6
2021Not asked

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Labour force & unemployment questions

Labour force & unemployment, 2 marks

The labour force is made up of?

  1. Only people who are in full-time paid jobs
  2. Everyone in the country aged over 15, working or not
  3. People in work plus people unemployed and seeking work
Show the answer

People in work plus people unemployed and seeking work

The labour force is everyone working plus everyone actively looking for work. Students, retired people and carers who are not seeking work are outside it.

Labour force & unemployment, 3 marks

The labour force is 2,500,000 and 125,000 people are unemployed. The unemployment rate is?

  1. 12.5%
  2. 5%
  3. 20%
Show the answer

5%

Unemployment rate = unemployed ÷ labour force × 100 = 125,000 ÷ 2,500,000 × 100 = 5%.

Labour force & unemployment, 3 marks

Ireland's official unemployment figures come from the?

  1. Labour Force Survey (LFS)
  2. Live Register (people signing on)
  3. Census of Population only
Show the answer

Labour Force Survey (LFS)

The CSO's Labour Force Survey uses international definitions. The Live Register counts people signing on, including some part-time and seasonal workers, so it is not the official measure.

Other Economics topics

All of Leaving Cert Economics