Workers in their 20s are most likely to be availing of the government’s pandemic unemployment support payments.
However, while some economists have suggested that younger people will suffer most during the economic downturn, data shows a significant cohort of older workers are also out of work as a result of COVID-19.
The data relates to the end of June, when 10,861 people were receiving the pandemic unemployment support – that number has since dropped to 8,000.
But at that time, over 3,500 people under the age of thirty were availing of the payment.
This mirrors a national trend in which people in their twenties are among the hardest hit, but the figures for Clare show a significant spread across all ages.
Around 2,100 people in their thirties are availing of the unemployment payment, along with 2,300 more in their forties, as well nearly 3,000 people aged over 50.
Meanwhile, as separate figures show an increased level of movement away from the pandemic unemployment support, the numbers on the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme are up.
This suggests that while more people have returned to work, employers are still leaning on the State to help cover their wage bills.
