New official figures show the unemployment rate stood at 20.2pc in October when those on the pandemic unemployment payment are taken into account. The unemployment rate took a worrying jump last month as new restrictions pushed the number of people out of work to over 500,000. New official figures show the unemployment rate stood at 20.2pc in October when those on the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) are included. In a statement, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said Covid-19 continued to impact the labour market. The following month, the number at work was 1.9m with an employment rate of 57.5pc.

Source: Irish Independent November 17, 2020 16:09 UTC