The number of people receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment has fallen to 227,982, a decrease of 16,215 over the last seven days.
The Department of Social Protection said the payments issued this week were valued at €67.2 million.
Following today’s Government decision to defer the reopening of indoor hospitality, the Government has extended the deadline for the closure of the PUP for new applicants until 7 July.
The Government also extended the Special Covid-19 Illness Benefit, paid at €350 per week, until 8 February next year.
Today’s figures show that Dublin is the county with the highest number of people receiving the PUP this week at 82,529, followed by Cork at 20,756 and Galway at 12,296.
The sector with the highest number of people receiving PUP this week is the accommodation and food service sector at 57,722.
However, this sector has also seen the largest decrease, with 7,000 fewer people receiving the payment compared to last week.
In terms of age groups, the biggest decrease was among the under 25s, with 52,231 receiving PUP compared to 58,441 last week – a drop of 6,210.
Article Source – Numbers claiming PUP down 16,000, Govt extends support – RTE – Gill Stedman