More PUP Sale From Today

Pandemic Unemployment Pay (PUP) recipients will see the amount they receive further reduced as of today.

This step is part of the ongoing batch liquidation process.

Those who currently receive €300 per week will see their payments drop to €250, while those who receive €250 will see their payment drop to €203, the current maximum jobseekers benefits and allowance.

Those whose payments reach the price of 203 euros are then transferred to the payments of the main job seekers.

According to the latest figures released by the Social Protection Department two weeks ago, about 78,000 people were still receiving the PUP.

It is expected that when the next update is released this week, the numbers will have fallen below 70,000, with more people returning to work.

At its peak in May last year, 605,000 people were claiming a PUP in a wide range of sectors, and in total, more than 900,000 had received at least one payment at some point in the past 18 months.

The first PUP cut took place in September, with prices also dropping by €50 at the time.

The system, which was introduced in March last year as the pandemic spread in order to preserve the income of those who suddenly lost their jobs when restrictions were imposed, closed to new arrivals on July 8.

Some employers have blamed staff shortages in a range of sectors on the slow pace of decline in the collective action programme.

About 9 billion euros have been spent on PUP payments so far.