- Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit now accounts for 20.4% of the Live Register
- The number of people on the Live Register for more than 1 year continues to decrease.
- The numbers of people participating in education and training programmes has seen a sharp decrease of 14% in 1 year.
On the 11th May, 2026, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released the Live Register figures for April 2026. There are 170,600 people on the Live Register (seasonally adjusted), a decrease of 800 people from the same month last year. Looking at the Register from a gender and age perspective: women account for 44.1% of the Live Register and young people, aged under 25 years, account for 12.2%.
Over the year, the number of people on the Live Register for less than one year has increased by 0.9% to 113,511 people and account for 68.3% of those on the Live Register. Women account for 44.9% and young people for 14.3% of this part of the register.
52,801 people are on the Live Register for more than a year, a decrease of 5.0% on April 2025. Looking at this part of the Register from a gender and age perspective, women account for 40.0% and young people 7.5%. 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 April 2025. In the April Live Register, 33,982 people are on this benefit, accounting for 20.4% of the Live Register.
Activation Programmes - March
In March 2026 there were 35,557 participants in activation programmes, a decrease of 3.3% since March 2025.
Education and Training Participation
The number of people participating in education and training programmes was 8,897, a decrease of 1,431 people from March 2025. The number of people participating in SOLAS Full-time Training for Unemployed People has seen a decrease of 18.2% to 4,632 people. The number of people on the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) decreased by 35.9% from the previous year to 915 participants; and the number of people receiving the Back to Education Allowance increased by 3.5% to 3,350 in March 2026.
Employment Programmes
The number of people participating in employment programmes increased by 0.9% to 26,660.
Community Employment remains the largest programme with 19,644 participants in March 2026 – 30 more participants than a year ago. The next biggest employment programme is TÚS - Community Work Placement Initiative, with 4,337 participants, a similar number to March 2025. The third largest employment programme is the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme with 1,912 participants, an increase of 14 participants from 2025.
The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) has 327 participants, an increase of 125 from the previous year. The Part-time Job Incentive Scheme (PTJIS) has decreased to 79 participants, and the Short-term Enterprise Allowance has increased its numbers, with 361 people participating in March 2026.