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Tag Archives: Pandemic Unemployment Payment

PUP being wound down after €9bn in payments

THE Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), which kept the lights on in the local and national economy for much of the pandemic, is about to be wound down. At one point in May of 2020 almost 15,000 Clare people were receiving the payment, which was then set at €350 per week. Even on January 11 2022 there were still 1,754 people in the county receiving the PUP, but almost all restrictions having been removed now, that figure is likely to have fallen in recent days. The PUP closed to new applications from last Saturday, January 22, as the restrictions were being scrapped. From March 8, anyone still in receipt of it will move to a weekly rate of €208, which is a four week extension on what had been planned. From then on the recipients will be transitioning to standard jobseeker terms and, if eligible, they will move to a jobseekers payment from April 5. While the PUP was criticised by …

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5,500 on benefits in Clare but labour shortages persist

THERE are still 1,735 people receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment in Clare, with latest figures also showing that 3,783 people were signing on the live register in October. The number receiving the PUP fell by almost 400 between October 19 and November 2, while it is way down from its peak in 2020 of almost 15,000. On the live register side, the October figure increased by 73 on September. The majority of people signing on in Clare (1,929) were attached to the Ennis Social Welfare office. The figure for Kilrush was 657, for Ennistymon it was 643, and for Tulla it was 554. Of those signing on in Clare, 2,031 were male and 1,752 were female. Despite more than 5,500 people getting unemployment supports, there are also labour shortages in a number of sectors. Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council PJ Ryan, a businessman himself, said that workers are in short supply. “Definitely there’s a major problem for businesses trying to …

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2,636 still on PUP in Clare as phasing out process begins

THE phasing out of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is underway with the top three rates reducing by €50, meaning that a person previously receiving €350 will now get €300 per week. Students who will be in full time education for the coming academic year have already received their final payment. In Clare, the most recent figures show that the county had 2,636 people receiving the payment on September 7. This was a drop of over 500 on the previous week and this probably reflects the number of students no longer receiving it. While the figure is more than 8,500 less than the equivalent in early February, it is still substantial. There were also 4,111 signing on the live register in Clare last month The PUP has been the target of much criticism in recent weeks, with businesses particularly in hospitality struggling to recruit staff. With the departure of students from the sector, this has led to a crisis for some. …

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‘Pandemic payment should be reduced’

Ballyvaughan  hotel facing short-term closure due to staff shortages THE Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) should be dramatically scaled back and only paid to employees whose businesses can’t operate, according to a well known hotelier. Woodstock Hotel manager, Sean Lally has called on the government to operate a more targeted PUP support for those who can’t work in view of the chronic staff shortages facing the hospitality and other industries. His appeal coincides with the revelation Gregan’s Castle Hotel, Ballyvaughan, will have to close for ten days in September and five in October, because it hasn’t enough staff to operate its business. Staff shortages in the hospitality sector in the Burren could hamper Autumn bookings, following one of the busiest summers in the region in recent years in terms of Irish visitors. Hotels and self-catering accommodation providers have reported bookings are up on last year, due to a combination of recent fine weather and the desire to holiday at home due …

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Central Bank highlights Covid’s impact on Clare economy

CLARE is among the counties hardest hit by the economic fall-out of the pandemic, a new report from the Central Bank and the Western Development has found. This county, along with eight others along the western seaboard, comprise what is called the Atlantic Economic Corridor (AEC). The research highlights the reliance in this county on very small businesses in sectors like tourism and cautions that this could affect economic recovery into the longer term. It also finds there are fewer job opportunities arising in Clare for those whose employment has ended due to Covid-19 restrictions. The report entitled, ‘The Regional impact of COVID-19: Western Region & Atlantic Economic Corridor,’ underlines the crucial role played by policies such as the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) in supporting household incomes and firms this county. “A concentration of jobs in consumer-facing sectors such as tourism and accommodation mean that workers in these counties have been adversely affected by …

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Rise in number of Clare people getting Pandemic Unemployment Payment

AFTER consistently falling for months the number of Clare people on the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment have increased this week. The figures rose to 4,512 on September 29, compared to 4,449 a week earlier. This rise came despite 174 people in the county stopping receipt of the payment due to returning to work, meaning that another 237 people began receiving it. The Government have said that the numbers receiving the payment are likely to rise when a region goes into Level 3, but obviously Clare has not, nor have any of the counties around it. Nationally the numbers on the payment have also risen and Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said that it shows that Covid-19 is a persistent threat. “These statistics are a reminder to us all that we cannot become complacent. We’ve come too far to let our guard down now. “The next couple of weeks are crucial. If people follow the advice of NPHET, reduce their …

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Fewer Clare people on pandemic payment

THE number of people receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment in the Banner is now down to 4,521. At its height in early May, it was more than three times this number with 14,664 people receiving it. At this stage, many companies have resumed operations, although obviously aviation related companies in Clare are still under serious pressure. While the lack of international tourism certainly hit parts of the country hard, most of Clare’s tourism sector seems to have escaped the worst of it, with a boom in staycationers compensating for the lack of foreign visitors. This week the payments people receive were adjusted, with the top rate falling to €300, while a new rate of €250 was introduced for those whose pre-Covid earnings were between €200 and €300. There is also a lower rate of €203 for those who were earning less than €200 per week. In its recently launched Resilience and Recovery document, the government stated that there may have …

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Clare Pandemic Unemployment Payment figure revealed

A total of 7,000 people in Clare are claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. The figure has dropped by 7,600 since May 5 when 14,600 people in the county were receiving the payment. According to the latest figures issued today from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, 313,800 people nationally will receive the payment tomorrow, at an overall cost of €97m. This represents a decrease of 31,800 on the 345,600 people paid last week and a decrease of almost 100,000 in the past two weeks. In the past seven days, 28,700 people have closed their claim for a Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Some 13,100 will be receiving their final payment tomorrow on tomorrow, July 21. The top three sectors in which employees are returning to work this week are accommodation and food services; wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor behicles and motorcycles and construction. As well as those availing of the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment, there are now over 67,700 employers who have registered with the Revenue Commissioners for …

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