87% decrease in Donegal PUP claims as people go back to work

The number of claimants fell from a peak of 22,726 in May 2020 to just 2,951 last week - an 87 % decrease.

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said it showed people are returning to employment.

“During 2020, the number of people in receipt of PUP dropped from June, once restrictions eased and as people returned to their work, to approximately 206,000 by the end of September. Experience from last year showed that some 400,000 people closed their PUP claims once the economy partially reopened. This is clear evidence that the vast majority of people returned to their employment, once it was available to them. The number in receipt of the PUP rose again when restrictions were reintroduced at the end of 2020, reaching a new high in early February 2021, when 481,000 were in receipt of payment,” she said.