The number of people receiving the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment has fallen to 515,700 - a reduction of 27,400 on the same point last week.
For the first time since its introduction, more people are in jobs subsidised by the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme than are receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
At the peak of the Covid-19 related unemployment surge, 598,000 people were claiming the PUP. However since then, over 80,000 people have returned to work as the economy gradually reopens - a drop of around 15%.
Of the 515,700 receiving the PUP, around 22,200 have notified the department that they have now returned to work. However, while the bill to the exchequer for the PUP welfare payment is diminishing, the number of