There are more people in work now than ever before.
Latest figures show 2.8 million people have jobs, up almost 64,000 in the past year.
CSO data shows 215,400 people are working in the border area, which includes Donegal, up 2.9% from last year.
Among the biggest employers in the region are the education, wholesale, health and social work, and agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors.
The construction sector is one of the largest employers in the region, also. Statistician Colin Hanley says higher activity levels in the sector accounted for the majority of the increase:
