The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
THERE were over four thousand people signing on the live register in Clare last month, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office.
Its figures show that there were 3,850 people signing on in February, but this went up to 4,120 in March.
There were 2,053 people on the live register attached to the Ennis Social Welfare Office in March, almost half the county’s total. The number signing on in Ennis was up by almost 200 on the February figure.
The number in Ennistymon increased by 36 in March to 779. In Kilrush the number increased by just 10, from 698 to 708. In Tulla the number increased by 30, from 550 to 580.
The last payment of the PUP was made on March 29, and people out of work would have been transferring to jobseekers benefit from then. As recently as February 8, 1,608 people were still receiving it in Clare.
Despite the numbers on the live register, there is very strong demand for staff in a number of sectors, including hospitality, construction, retail and manufacturing.
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked for a number of other regional titles in Limerick, Galway and Cork.
