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The Government has now spent 4 billion euros on pandemic unemployment payment aid to people who have lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 crisis, according to the latest figures from the Department of Social Protection.
342,505 people will receive PUP support this week, 12,500 more than the count of 329,991 last week.
Reflecting the inexorable rise in claims, this week’s bill for PUP payments will be € 99 million, up from € 95.5 million last week and € 85.6 million two weeks ago.
However, the number of claimants is nowhere near the peak of 598,000 in early May.
Another 203,172 people were registered in the Live Register at the end of October.
In total, nearly 550,000 people (545,677) currently depend entirely on the state for their income.
On the positive side, over the past week around 3,700 people closed their PUP claims, and 2,319 did so because they were returning to work.
The sectors with the highest number of people eligible for a PUP payment this week are Accommodation and Food Service Activities (100,994), followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (55,516) and Other Sectors (including hairdressers and beauty salons) ( 30,141).
Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys said today’s further increase in the number of claims was anticipated and reflected the impact of moving to level 5 restrictions.
He said the 4 billion euros paid in PUP payments demonstrated the government’s commitment to supporting workers during the pandemic.
He acknowledged that many people had made great sacrifices following the advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team, adding: “But the drop in the number of Covid-19 cases in recent days is encouraging and gives reason for optimism ahead of the next Christmas. period. ”
Meanwhile, the number of people under the age of 66 who have been medically certified for the Covid-19 enhanced illness benefit of € 350 per week since March has reached 84,803.
As of today, 3,032 people are receiving the benefit, and the number of applicants increases in each county this week.
The sectors with the highest number of claims for sickness benefits are wholesale / retail (18,178), human health and social work (15,772) and manufacturing (11,707).
The Department reiterated that the supports are available to the self-employed, including taxi drivers, arts and entertainment workers and others, who can now earn up to € 480 per month while retaining their full PUP entitlement.
The Part-Time Work Incentive Plan is also available to self-employed exiting PUP or a job search pay.
It allows a person to receive a partial payment for job search, while maintaining income from employment, and can be especially suitable when the income of a freelancer exceeds the threshold of € 480 per month for PUP.
The short-term work assistance plan may also allow certain workers to claim occasional or part-time job search payments for days of unemployment, even when their employer is claiming the wage subsidy plan for days of employment.
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