The numbers in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) peaked at 605,671 in the week ending 3 May 2020, new CSO figures show.

The number of weekly PUP recipients for each of the 166 Local Electoral Areas (LEAs) peaked during the first wave of the pandemic in April 2020 or May 2020.

The number of weekly PUP recipients peaked during the week ending 3 May 2020 for 156 of the 166 LEAs (94.0%).

Thurles, Tipperary was the LEA with the largest percentage decrease in PUP recipients from peak at 93.2%.

The LEA Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart, Fingal had the lowest percentage decrease in PUP recipients from its peak (down by 80.4%).

The 20 LEAs with the highest number of PUP recipients during the most recent period analysed (week ending 31 October 2021) were in Dublin, the CSO has said.

Cumulative total

The total number (cumulative) in receipt of the PUP for at least one week between March 2020 and the week ending 31 October 2021, is 871,476.

The 14 LEAs with the highest number of cumulative PUP recipients up to 31 October 2021 were in Dublin. 

The LEA with the lowest number of cumulative PUP recipients to date was Lismore, Waterford.

Statistician John Mullane said: "Comparing the week ending 31 October with the same period last year the number of PUP recipients was down by 77.5% or 267,899 persons.

“The number of PUP recipients has been falling week on week since the week ending 7 February 2021 and stood at 77,806 for the week ending 31 October, which was approximately one in eight (12.8%) of the number seen at the peak in May 2020.

Decreases

“There were at most one in five individuals still in receipt of the PUP in each LEA when compared to their respective peaks. These large decreases reflect a continued reopening of society and an end to adding new entrants to the PUP scheme,” he said.

“Looking at the data by LEA, Thurles in Tipperary has the largest percentage decrease in PUP recipients from its peak (down by 93.2%) followed by Roscrea-Templemore, Tipperary (down by 92.4%), Adare-Rathkeale, Limerick (down by 92.4%) and Carndonagh, Donegal (down by 92.3%).

"The LEA Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart in Fingal has the lowest percentage decrease in PUP recipients from its peak (down by 80.4%),” he added.

The 20 LEAs with the highest number of PUP recipients during the most recent week of analysis (week ending 31 October 2021) were in Dublin.

Over one in three (38.5%) of those in receipt of the PUP for that week were in Dublin-based LEAs.