Over 800 fewer Galway workers are to receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week as the number of people in the county on PUP continues to decrease.
There are now 22,774 people in the county receiving the PUP, down from 23,589 last week.
A total of 315 Galway people closed their payments to return to work since last week.
Galway has the third highest number of people on the PUP after Dublin with 134,417 recipients and Cork with 42,391.
Commenting on this week’s figures, Minister Heather Humphreys said that as restrictions are eased, more people have closed their PUP claim to return to work.
“With sectors such as construction and our schools re-opening, it is vital that we take a cautious approach until a substantial level of our population has been vaccinated, at which point we will move to reopen our society more widely,” said Minister Humphreys.
“I appreciate that the restrictions currently have a huge impact on the social and economic wellbeing of our communities.
“However, the vaccination programme will give us a pathway to a return to economic and social activity.”
Minister Humphreys reminded those receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment who are returning to work to close their claim for the payment on the actual day that they start back at work.