- 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 July, 2026, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released the Live Register figures for June 2026. There are 172,600 people on the Live Register (seasonally adjusted), an increase of 3,800 people from the same month last year. Looking at the Register from a gender and age perspective: women account for 45.7% of the Live Register and young people, aged under 25 years, account for 12.9%.
Over the year, the number of people on the Live Register for less than one year has increased by 5.2% to 122,458 people and account for 69.2% of those on the Live Register. Women account for 48.0% and young people for 14.9% of this part of the register.
54,477 people are on the Live Register for more than a year, a decrease of 3.1% on June 2025. Looking at this part of the Register from a gender and age perspective, women account for 40.5% and young people 8.6%. Exploring the issue of duration further, 48.0% 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 June 2025. In the June Live Register, 34,131 people are on this benefit, accounting for 19.2% of the Live Register.
Activation Programmes - May
In May 2026 there were 32,604 participants in activation programmes, a decrease of 1.6% since May 2025.
Education and Training Participation
The number of people participating in education and training programmes was 5,943, a decrease of 591 people from May 2025. The number of people participating in SOLAS Full-time Training for Unemployed People has seen a decrease of 8% to 4,160 people. The number of people on the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) decreased by 38% from the previous year to 644 participants; and the number of people receiving the Back to Education Allowance remained stable, at 1,139 in May 2026.
Employment Programmes
The number of people participating in employment programmes remained stable over the year; there were 26,661 participants in total.
Community Employment remains the largest programme with 19,641 participants in May 2026 – 52 less participants than a year ago. The next biggest employment programme is TÚS - Community Work Placement Initiative, with 4,339 participants, a similar number to May 2025. The third largest employment programme is the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme with 1,861 participants remaining stable over the year.
The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) has 353 participants, an increase of 114 from the previous year. The Part-time Job Incentive Scheme (PTJIS) has decreased to 84 participants, and the Short-term Enterprise Allowance has increased its numbers, with 383 people participating in May 2026.