Number of people on PUP continues to fall as economy reopens

The number of people receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) has now fallen for 33 weeks in a row, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys has said.

She said that since February this year, the number of young people under the age of 25 who were claiming the PUP had reduced by over 90 per cent.

The Department of Social Protection said on Tuesday that 106,245 people would receive the payment this week. It said this represented a reduction of 4,525 compared with the figure recorded last week.

It said the greatest reduction in the number receiving the payment this week was among those working in the accommodation and food services sector.

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The number of people receiving the PUP is in addition to the 179,761 people who were on the live register at the end of August.

Illness benefit

The Department of Social Protection also said that there were 2,012 people this week receiving the Covid-19 enhanced illness benefit payment, down from 2,213 last week.

The Minister said: “Today’s figures mean that the number of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment has now fallen for 33 consecutive weeks.

“And since February of this year, the number of young people under the age of 25 who were claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment has reduced by over 90 per cent.

“We now have nearly half a million fewer people claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment compared to the peak of the virus last year – demonstrating the huge progress that has been made in terms of rolling out our vaccination programme, reopening the economy and getting people back to work,” she said.