Ireland's unemployment rate rises to 5.1% in July, ending 4.5-year run

Ireland's unemployment rate rose to 5.1% in July, up from 5% in June, ending a four-and-a-half-year period at or below 5%. The Central Statistics Office published the figures on Thursday. The previous stretch was the longest ever with unemployment at or below 5%. Some earlier monthly readings initially exceeded 5% before being revised downward. The increase signals a modest cooling after a historically stable period for the Irish labor market, with the rate still low by recent standards.