Live register figures increase in every county but one over 12 months

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

The number of people on the live register rose in every county but one in the past 12 months, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Tipperary was the only county that saw a decrease in the number of people on its live register.

The counties that saw the greatest increases in the year to September were Clare and Kerry, with 26.7 per cent and 23.1 per cent respectively.

The live register counts people claiming Jobseeker’s Benefit and applicants for Jobseeker’s Allowance, as well as applicants for credited social welfare contributions.

Those with part-time work who claim benefits are counted in the figures, so they do not represent solely the number of unemployed people in the country.

The seasonally adjusted Live Register decreased by 1.0% to 184,100 over the month to September 2022https://t.co/99EuBUp4TF#CSOIreland #Ireland #LabourForce #Households #IrishHouseholds #LabourMarket #LiveRegister #Jobs #Employment #Unemployment pic.twitter.com/zWsQDMHLGv

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) October 7, 2022

The CSO figures released on Friday show there were 184,100 people on the seasonally adjusted live register in September, down 1 per cent from August.

The seasonally adjusted figures take into account regular increases or decreases in the live register that take place at certain times of the year.

These include an increase at the start of the summer and a decrease during the autumn.

The increase over the past 12 months came after thousands of people came off the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) in March, transferring from the emergency welfare payment to the live register.

There were 465,634 people on the live register or benefitting from the PUP or Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme in February, down from 939,789 people a year earlier.

The live register figures also include some Ukrainian refugees, who can claim Jobseeker’s Allowance until the most appropriate income support is identified.

If a person is on the allowance for 50 claim paid days or more, they are counted on the live register.

The unadjusted live register stood at 179,055 people in September.

Of the 179,055 people on the register last month, 53.2 per cent were male and 74.2 per cent were Irish.

The 35-44 age group made up the largest proportion at 23.4 per cent.

Morgan O’Donnell, a CSO statistician, said the seasonally adjusted live register for September was 184,100 people – a decrease of 1,900 from the previous month.

“There was a decrease of 4,700 persons on the seasonally adjusted live register for September 2022 when compared with September 2019,” he said.

He added that there were 13,505 people in Ireland under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive included in September’s live register figures, an increase of 1,654 from August.