THE number of people on the live register in Clare rose last month, going from 4,587 in June to 4,929 in July.
The number signing on at the Social Welfare office in Ennis increased from 2,302 to 2,513, while in Ennistymon it went from 923 to 995. In Kilrush the figure increased from 923 to 995, while in Tulla it went from 638 to 670.
The Clare figure is just over 700 higher than it was last July, when it stood at 4,228.
Clare has received a significant amount of refugees due to the war in Ukraine, and this complicates making direct comparisons, as the Central Statistics Office say that many of the new arrivals are receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance.
“There were 9,942 people benefitting from the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive included in the Live Register figures for July 2022, an increase of 2,795 from June 2022.
“People arriving in Ireland from Ukraine under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive can access a wide range of Department of Social Protection (DSP) supports.
“The majority of new applications for income support from people of working age are being processed as Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) claims until the most appropriate income support for that person is identified. This facilitates access to existing part-time work supports where appropriate.
“In the event that a person is on JA for 50 claim paid days or more, they are counted on the Live Register.”
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.