The Dublin economy was stable but slowing between April and June, new data shows.
The latest Dublin Economic Monitor published by the four Dublin local authoritues shows that employment reached record highs, spending continued to climb and business activity held firm.
This comes despite persistent global trade uncertainties.
The Dublin S&P Global Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) shows that business activity in the capital’s private sector increased in the second quarter, albeit at the softest rate of expansion since late 2023.
The headline rate stood at 52.2, broadly in line with the 52.6 seen in the previous quarter and remains above the 50-point mark that denotes expansion.
All three sectors that make up business activity were in expansion mode in Dublin during the three month period.
The manufacturing sector showed the strongest rate of growth, bouncing back from a contraction of 48.9 last quarter.
The construction and service sectors also posted increases in activity but at slower rates than seen in the first quarter.
Employment in the capital rose to a new peak of 837,700, though the pace of growth slowed.
At the same time, Dublin’s unemployment rate increased to 4.9%, up from 4.3% in the first quarter.
While still close to 'full employment’, today's report shows that the labour market is showing signs of easing, with vacancy trends weakening.
Job postings in Dublin on the Indeed platform continued to decline over the summer, falling 16.5 percentage points below the 2020 baseline in August, extending a medium-term downward trajectory.
According to MasterCard data, retail spending in the Dublin economy continued to grow modestly in the second quarter of 2025.
Total expenditure in the capital increased by 0.7% on the previous quarter and by 2.1% year on year.
Spending on necessities remained the key driver of growth, increasing by 1.8% compared to the first quarter.
