There were just over 900,000 people – about 40 per cent of the Irish workforce – on some form of income support in March. Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show 905,575 people were on the live register or were benefitting from the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) or the employment wage subsidy scheme (EWSS) in MarchThis was down from 941,070 in February. The number of people on the live register or claiming the PUP fell by almost 10 per cent in April amid the lifting of certain Covid-19 restrictions. This figures put the total for April at 556,273, which was 9.9 per cent down on the previous month. The live register total was 181,800 in April, down 3,500 from March.

Source: The Irish Times May 10, 2021 10:51 UTC