Dundalk sees large rise in number signing on Live Register

There has been a large annual rise in the number of people signing on the Live Register in Dundalk, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Monday.

3,817 signed on the Live Register in Dundalk in July. This is an increase of 450 on the number signing on in Dundalk in July 2021 and represents an increase of 13.4%. On a monthly basis it is an increase of 129 people, representing a monthly increase of 3.5%.

Ardee saw an 11.2% annual rise in the number of people signing on the Live Register, with 886 signing on in July 2022, compared with 797 in July 2021. On a monthly basis, there was an increase of 31 people signing on in Ardee in July, compared to June, representing an increase of3.6%.

Drogheda saw the lowest annual increase, with 149 more people signing on in July 2022 than July 2021, representing an increase of 4.2%. On a monthly basis however, Drogheda has seen an increase of 193 people signing on, representing a rise of 5.5%.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted Live Register decreased by 0.7% to 183,300 over the month to July 2022. There were 9,942 people benefitting from the EU's Temporary Protection Directive included in the Live Register figures for July 2022, an increase of 2,795 from June 2022.

People arriving in Ireland from Ukraine under the EU's Temporary Protection Directive can access a wide range of Department of Social Protection (DSP) supports. The majority of new applications for income support from people of working age are being processed as Jobseeker's Allowance (JA) claims until the most appropriate income support for that person is identified. This facilitates access to existing part-time work supports where appropriate. In the event that a person is on JA for 50 claim paid days or more, they are counted on the Live Register.