Jobseekers’ payments in Clare have been suspended more than 24,000 times in the past five years.
There were more than 700 claims suspended in this county in the first two months of 2021 alone.
Individuals may be disqualified from getting Jobseeker’s Allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit for up to 9 weeks if they leave work voluntarily without a reasonable cause; lose their job through misconduct; or refuse an offer of alternative suitable employment or training.
According to figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request, that’s happened on more than 1.1 million occasions nationwide since the beginning of 2016 – including more than 24,000 times here in Clare – an average of over 4,800 occasions per year.
The number relates to the number of people who have had their jobseekers’ payments suspended – so the actual number of claims may be higher.
Instances however, in line with the national trend, have fallen year on year in the past five years – more than 6,000 suspensions of payments in 2016 by the Department of Social Protection fell to below 5,000 by 2018, and was below 4,000 last year.
744 claims have been suspended in Clare in the first two months of 2021 – a monthly average that would again push the annual figure up past 4,000 should it continue.
