The number of people on pandemic unemployment in Galway has declined slightly again this week, but remains the third highest level in the country.
There are 24,934 people in Galway receiving pandemic unemployment this week, down from 25,082 the week prior.
The only counties with a greater number of people on the PUP are Dublin (146,547), and Cork (47,011).
There were 432 people in Galway who closed their PUP account with the Department of Social Protection in the past week as they were returning to work.
The Department is today making €139.06 million in payments to 464,860 people in the country, down 3,987 compared to last week.
These figures are in addition to the 186,702 people who were on the Live Register at the end of February.
The sector with the highest number of people receiving PUP this week is Accommodation and Food Service activities (109,754), followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (74,153) and Construction (58,864).
However, the construction sector has seen the greatest decrease in the number of people on pandemic unemployment this week, with 1,003 returning to work.
Speaking today on the latest PUP figures, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said “This week again we see a small but steady number of people closing their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.”
“I want to commend the huge efforts being made by people, young and old, which are paying dividends in helping to suppress the Covid-19 virus.”
“This virus has remained with us far longer than any of us anticipated. I know people are feeling weary and anxious and just want life to get back to normal.”
“But our efforts are making a difference. We are seeing positive signs in terms of hospital numbers and ICU numbers, which are reducing all the time.”
“We cannot let our guard down at this time. Employees need to work from home where possible. All of us need to continue to follow the health guidelines and remind ourselves that we are making these sacrifices on behalf of our families, our friends, our communities and our frontline workers.”
