The economic devastation caused by Covid-19 has been laid bare with new figures revealing that in some counties more than 40pc of the workforce is on State income supports.
Unemployment levels across Ireland due to the pandemic
“The information shows pandemic unemployment payment figures (and Covid-adjusted unemployment rates) are higher on a per capita basis in western counties in which the local labour force is more reliant on consumer-facing and labour-intensive sectors such as retail and accommodation,” said a Central Bank spokesperson. He said counties like Dublin had a higher share of jobs in ICT and finance and sectors that had a greater capacity for working from home.
Labour employment spokesperson Senator Marie Sherlock told the
Irish Independent: “We know that retail, wholesale and the hospitality sector are the sectors heavily accounted for in those claiming the PUP payment at this point of time.”