How many are claiming emergency jobless benefits?

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602,107 Individuals Claiming Emergency Jobless Benefits in Ireland by End of April

At the close of April, a total of 602,107 individuals in Ireland were registered as claiming emergency jobless benefits. This figure, when aggregated with those receiving standard unemployment assistance, contributed to a significant surge in the nation's unemployment rate, reaching a record high of 28.2 per cent by the end of April. This represents a substantial increase from the previous month, with the number of emergency payment claimants more than doubling since March.
Surge in Emergency Jobless Benefit Claims

The number of individuals claiming the emergency jobless benefits saw a dramatic escalation, more than doubling in March to reach 602,107 by the end of April. This sharp rise followed the implementation of stay-home measures in late March, which led to the closure of non-essential services across Ireland to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The introduction of these measures directly impacted employment, prompting a significant number of workers to seek financial support through the emergency payment system.
Record High Unemployment Rate

The substantial increase in emergency jobless benefit claims directly contributed to Ireland's unemployment rate reaching an unprecedented 28.2 per cent at the end of April. This figure is a marked departure from the 4.8 per cent rate recorded just two months prior. The Central Statistics Office has indicated that this adjusted measure should be viewed as an upper limit for the actual unemployment rate, with the rate excluding pandemic payments standing at 5.4 per cent in April, up from 5.3 per cent in March.
Context of Previous Economic Shocks

Ireland's current unemployment figures far surpass previous recorded highs. The highest jobless rate documented in the 37 years since the series' inception was 17.3 per cent in 1985. More recently, during the aftermath of the financial crisis, the unemployment rate peaked at 16 per cent in 2012, a period when the country was undergoing a three-year international bailout programme. The current rate of 28.2 per cent signifies a more severe economic contraction.

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How many are claiming emergency jobless benefits?

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