- Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit now accounts for 20.1% of the Live Register
- The number of people on the Live Register for more than 1 year continues to decrease.
On the 8th June, 2026, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released the Live Register figures for May 2026. There are 171,800 people on the Live Register (seasonally adjusted), an increase of 600 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 12.5%.
Over the year, the number of people on the Live Register for less than one year has increased by 6.3% to 113,225 people and account for 67.8% of those on the Live Register. Women account for 45.1% and young people for 14.7% of this part of the register.
53,882 people are on the Live Register for more than a year, a decrease of 3.54% on May 2025. Looking at this part of the Register from a gender and age perspective, women account for 40.2% and young people 8.0%. Exploring the issue of duration further, 48.4% 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 May 2025. In the May Live Register, 33,570 people are on this benefit, accounting for 20.1% of the Live Register.
Activation Programmes - April
In April 2026 there were 38,269 participants in activation programmes, an increase of 3.3% since April 2025.
Education and Training Participation
The number of people participating in education and training programmes was 11,571, an increase of 1,665 people from April 2025. The number of people participating in SOLAS Full-time Training for Unemployed People has seen an increase of 40.0% to 7,578 people. The number of people on the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) decreased by 32.3% from the previous year to 956 participants; and the number of people receiving the Back to Education Allowance remained stable, at 3,037 in April 2026.
Employment Programmes
The number of people participating in employment programmes remained stable over the year; there were 26,698 participants in total.
Community Employment remains the largest programme with 19,666 participants in April 2026 – 35 more participants than a year ago. The next biggest employment programme is TÚS - Community Work Placement Initiative, with 4,343 participants, a similar number to April 2025. The third largest employment programme is the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme with 1,889 participants remaining stable over the year.
The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) has 348 participants, an increase of 109 from the previous year. The Part-time Job Incentive Scheme (PTJIS) has decreased to 85 participants, and the Short-term Enterprise Allowance has increased its numbers, with 367 people participating in April 2026.