- Jobseekers Pay-Related Benefit now accounts for 20.4% of the Live Register
On the 9th February, 2026, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released the Live Register figures for January 2026. There are 171,300 people on the Live Register (seasonally adjusted), an increase of 5,700 people from the same month last year. Looking at the Register from a gender and age perspective: women account for 44.5% of the Live Register and young people, aged under 25 years, account for 12.3%.
Over the year, the number of people on the Live Register for less than one year has increased by 8.4% to 117,474 people and account for 68.8% of those on the Live Register. Women account for 44.6% and young people for 14.5% of this part of the register.
53,200 people are on the Live Register for more than a year, a decrease of 6.4% on January 2025. Looking at this part of the Register from a gender and age perspective, women account for 40.3% and young people 7.4%. Exploring the issue of duration further, 49.1% of the people on the Live Register for more than a year have been on it for at least three years.
Introduction of Jobseekers Pay-Related Benefit
The new social welfare payment, called Jobseekers Pay-Related Benefit (JPRB), was introduced in March 2025. In the January Live Register, 34,765 people are on this benefit, accounting for 20.4% of the Live Register.
Activation Programmes - December
In December 2025 there were 36,614 participants in activation programmes, an increase of 2.0% since December 2025.
Education and Training Participation
The number of people participating in education and training programmes was 9,738, an increase of 271 people from December 2025. The number of people participating in SOLAS Full-time Training for Unemployed People has seen an increase of 15.0% to 5,069 people. The number of people on the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) decreased by 36.6% from the previous year to 971 participants; and the number of people receiving the Back to Education Allowance increased by 4.8% to 3,698 in December 2026.
Employment Programmes
The number of people participating in employment programmes increased by 1.7% to 26,876.
Community Employment remains the largest programme with 19,659 participants in December 2025 – 196 more participants than a year ago. The next biggest employment programme is TÚS - Community Work Placement Initiative, with 4,575 participants, a similar number to December 2024. The third largest employment programme is the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme with 1,873 participants, a drop of 30 people over the year.
The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) has 273 participants, an increase of 109 from the previous year. The Part-time Job Incentive Scheme (PTJIS) has increased to 88 participants and the Short-term Enterprise Allowance has also increased its numbers, with 408 people participating in December 2025.