The Irish jobs market expanded at a more moderate pace in the first quarter of 2024, but the data still point to robust growth in the Irish economy. Employment increased by 0.4% on the quarter in Q1, and annual growth slowed to 1.9% from a 3.4% pace at the end of 2023. This is the slowest pace in three years and follows a period of rapid post-COVID growth, but total employment in Ireland is now 343,000 above its pre-COVID level, at 1.7 million people.