Employment breaks through two million barrier while more people enter country than leave
Four hundred Irish emigrants are returning home every week - almost double the rate of last year.
The number of people working in Ireland has also broken through the two million barrier for the first time in eight years, latest figures show.
Newly published reports from the Central Statistics Office further show more people are coming to live in Ireland than are leaving for the first time since the economic crash.
Some 21,100 Irish people returned home in the year to April - around 406 every week and up a huge 74% from the previous year.
But, while the number of Irish people emigrating has dropped in recent years, there are still more leaving than returning.
Some 32,000 left home last year alone - 615 every week.
Overall, there were 79,300 people of all nationalities who arrived here to live over the same period - a jump of more than 14%.
A jump of 56,200 workers with a job - up 3% - over the year to June brings to 2,014,900 the total number of people in employment .
Four out of five of the new jobs are full-time, according to the CSO.
Unemployment has also dropped by 23,400 - down 11% - over the same period to 187,800.
Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor said the rising employment would be a boost for the country.
"These figures today from the Central Statistics Office are very encouraging and continue to show that the numbers of people employed in full-time jobs is increasing steadily and I am particularly pleased to see that all regions of the country are seeing employment growth," she added.
"Having two million people now at work will also give a boost to the state as only a strong economy supporting people at work can pay for the services needed to create a fair society."
While there has been a drop in the number of people unemployed for a year or more, the long-term out-of-work still make up more than half the overall unemployment figure.
