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For more information on this release:
E-mail: labour@cso.ie Catalina Gonzalez (+353) 87 646 7535 Martina O'Callaghan (+353) 21 453 5491
For general information on CSO statistics:
information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN 2009-535X
CSO statistical release, , 11am

Live Register

September 2020

 Live Register TotalSeasonally AdjustedPandemic Unemployment Payment Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy SchemeTotal (Excluding overlaps)
September 2019183,783188,200---
August 2020225,844213,800224,956359,095788,685
September 2020211,492215,400217,142--
      
Change in month +1,600-7,814  
Change in year + 27,709 -  

Live Register: COVID-19 crisis continues to impact labour market in September 2020

Live Register Seasonally Adjusted
go to full release

A range of measures were introduced by the Government to provide income support for those whose employment has been affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland. The available schemes are being administered by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) and the Revenue Commissioners. See our Infographic.

At the end of September 2020, 217,142 of those whose income from employment has been affected due to COVID-19 were being facilitated through the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) which is administered by the DEASP. The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) was replaced by the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) on 01 September 2020. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has not yet received EWSS data but will continue to work with the Revenue Commissioners to source this data for dissemination to users as soon as possible. See Annex Table A2.

The CSO has worked to identify the detail available from the different sources and how the different schemes should be classified for statistical purposes. There is some overlap between those who meet the criteria to be included on the Live Register and those who are benefitting from the COVID-19 income support schemes. These overlaps occur due to the different frequency of the payments, and the fact that some persons who are included on the Live Register may not be receiving a payment and so might be benefitting from either the PUP or the TWSS. There is a total column in the Headline Table above and in Table A2 of this release today which takes account of the overlap and counts each person only once up to August 2020. The total for September 2020 has not been included because the EWSS data is not yet available for September. When EWSS data is available it will be included in both the Headline Table and the Annex Table A2.

As users will be aware, the Live Register is a series which is available back to 1967 on the CSO’s StatBank tabular data service. The Live Register series is of immense historical value and the CSO is keen to protect the continuity of the series, while also trying to make as much information as possible available to users, charting the labour market effects of COVID-19.

The CSO published an information note on 01 April 2020 for users on the implications of the COVID-19 income support measures on the Live Register and the Monthly Unemployment Estimates releases. That information note is available here:  Information Note on Implications of COVID-19 on the Live Register and the Monthly Unemployment Estimates.  The information note outlines why those in receipt of the COVID-19 income support payments are not included on the Live Register unless they meet the usual criteria to be included on the Live Register.

The unadjusted number of persons on the Live Register for each month since March 2020 may include a small number of applicants for the PUP who were advised to apply for jobseekers benefit if they have a dependant adult and at least one child, or four or more children in the case of no dependant adult.

The COVID-19 income supports were originally set up as short-term emergency income supports but they have been extended several times and there have been changes made in terms of the eligibility criteria and how they are being administered. While the PUP and the TWSS were both expected, until recently, to cease in August, the latest announcements have indicated that the PUP is expected to continue into 2021 while the TWSS has been replaced by the EWSS from 01 September 2020.

A review of non-recipient Live Register claims is ongoing at the DEASP and relates primarily to cases where a person who was in receipt of the PUP has since closed their PUP claim and reported a return to employment. This will impact the Live Register totals, as some of these non-recipient jobseeker claims were included on the Live Register, but their jobseeker claims were not automatically closed at that time. Please see the Technical Note published by the CSO alongside the Live Register release for August 2020 for more information including an analysis of the number of Live Register claimants by their recipient status. A table providing a breakdown of Live Register claimants since January 2019 by recipient and non-recipient status is also available in Annex Table A3 at the end of this Live Register release today, while the corresponding series from January 2012 onwards is also available on StatBank.

The Live Register for September 2020 has been compiled in the traditional way and the usual tables are included below. The CSO will continue to evaluate the available income support schemes and the results of the recipient and non-recipient analysis of the Live Register to determine whether any changes are required to the methodology for the Live Register to improve the usability of the series. In the meantime, caution needs to be exercised when assessing monthly changes. Any changes the CSO may make to the Live Register methodology in the future will be clearly outlined to users in the Live Register release and accompanying material.

The detailed commentary usually provided on the Live Register tables has not been included here but can be made available to users on request to labour@cso.ie.

The Live Register is not designed to measure unemployment.  It includes part-time workers (those who work up to three days a week), seasonal and casual workers entitled to Jobseeker’s Benefit (JB) or Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA).  Unemployment is measured by the Labour Force Survey.

The Monthly Unemployment Rate (seasonally adjusted) is published in the Monthly Unemployment release.  

The unadjusted Live Register total for September 2020 was 211,492 persons; this consisted of 117,528 males (55.6%) and 93,964 females (44.4%). Of those on the Live Register for September 2020, 28,777 or 13.6%, are under 25 years of age, while 182,715, or 86.4%, are 25 years of age and over. See Table 1a.

On an adjusted basis, the number of male and female claimants on the Live Register were 118,900 and 96,400 representing 55.2% and 44.8% of the seasonally adjusted Live Register total respectively. See Table 2a.

A total of 217,142 persons were in receipt of the PUP for the last week of September 2020; this consisted of 118,371 males (54.5%) and 98,771 females (45.5%). Of those claiming the PUP, 45,552 or 21.0%, are under 25 years of age, while 171,590 or 79.0%, are 25 years of age and over. See Table A2.

The CSO has been working with and will continue to collaborate with both the DEASP and the Revenue Commissioners to meet user needs for availability of detailed aggregates for the recipients of both the PUP and the TWSS/ EWSS respectively. Tables providing breakdowns of the numbers benefitting from the PUP and the TWSS and the numbers of persons on the Live Register for each week since March 2020 by sex, age group, county and nationality grouping are available at the following link: Detailed COVID-19 Income Support and Live Register Tables. This link also contains tables for the corresponding numbers included on the Live Register for each week as well as a total number of persons with overlaps removed who are either on the Live Register for each week or who were benefitting from either the PUP or the TWSS up to 31 August 2020. As already mentioned, the CSO has not yet received EWSS data but will continue to work with the Revenue Commissioners to source this data for dissemination to users as soon as possible.

The Labour Market Analysis area of the CSO are compiling a mailing list of users who wish to register their interest in being kept informed of Labour Market related updates from the CSO. These email updates will include advising users of any updates to the aggregate tables available at the link above. If you wish to be included in this mailing list, please email labour@cso.ie and register your email address for inclusion on the mailing list.

Annex - Activation Programmes

Data up to the end of August 2020 on the number of persons availing of a range of programmes targeted primarily at the long-term unemployed (over 12 months) and other welfare recipients is provided in the Annex Table A1 – Number of persons availing of Activation Programmes table.

There were 52,019 persons availing of these programmes in August 2020, which is an increase of 14,179 persons (+37.5%) from the previous year, when there were 37,840 persons in activation programmes. 

Persons on activation programmes are not counted as part of the monthly Live Register.

 

DurationLess than one yearOne year or more
September 201811932486406
October 201811624982998
November 201811570480557
December 201812012779542
January 201912061779010
February 201911952177413
March 201911630076107
April 201911817874940
May 201911362976238
June 201911991677192
July 201912973876658
August 201912328875805
September 201911218971594
October 201911131369146
November 201910955268002
December 201911443867558
January 202011605067705
February 202011574566871
March 202013824466965
April 202014629168450
May 202015579869864
June 202014920471667
July 202016982274740
August 202015003975805
September 202013559675896
Under 25 years25 years and over
September 201822670183060
September 201920342163441
September 202028777182715
Broad Occupational GroupSeptember 2018September 2019September 2020
11052398439913
2130611217613167
3714466407611
4223752016720456
5345213053830993
6263932320025884
7215861820519664
8314812796027776
9255212301525265
10131251203930763
KEY  
1- Managers and administrators
2- Professional
3- Associate professional and technical
4- Clerical and secretarial
5- Craft and related
6- Personal and Protective service
7- Sales
8- Plant and machine operatives
9- Other occupation
10- No occupation

 

Table 1(a) Total persons on the Live Register
CategorySeptember 2019August 2020September 2020Monthly changeAnnual change
Males
    JB Claims16,65624,74722,154-2,593+5,498
    JA Applications79,92791,50289,238-2,264+9,311
    Other Registrants6,9656,2546,136-118-829
    Total103,548122,503117,528-4,975+13,980
 
Females
    JB Claims17,23529,95923,997-5,962+6,762
    JA Applications47,55158,80155,856-2,945+8,305
    Other Registrants15,44914,58114,111-470-1,338
    Total80,235103,34193,964-9,377+13,729
 
All Persons
    JB Claims33,89154,70646,151-8,555+12,260
    JA Applications127,478150,303145,094-5,209+17,616
    Other Registrants22,41420,83520,247-588-2,167
    Total183,783225,844211,492-14,352+27,709
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Table 1(a) (XLS 36KB)
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Table 1(b) Persons under 25 years of age on the Live Register
CategorySeptember 2019August 2020September 2020Monthly changeAnnual change
Males
    JB Claims1,2711,9741,635-339+364
    JA Applications10,62615,08514,275-810+3,649
    Other Registrants524850+2-2
    Total11,94917,10715,960-1,147+4,011
 
Females
    JB Claims1,0902,6872,103-584+1,013
    JA Applications7,25411,51110,666-845+3,412
    Other Registrants495948-11-1
    Total8,39314,25712,817-1,440+4,424
 
All Persons
    JB Claims2,3614,6613,738-923+1,377
    JA Applications17,88026,59624,941-1,655+7,061
    Other Registrants10110798-9-3
    Total20,34231,36428,777-2,587+8,435
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Table 1(b) (XLS 35KB)
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Table 1(c) Persons 25 years of age and over on the Live Register
CategorySeptember 2019August 2020September 2020Monthly changeAnnual change
Males
    JB Claims15,38522,77320,519-2,254+5,134
    JA Applications69,30176,41774,963-1,454+5,662
    Other Registrants6,9136,2066,086-120-827
    Total91,599105,396101,568-3,828+9,969
 
Females
    JB Claims16,14527,27221,894-5,378+5,749
    JA Applications40,29747,29045,190-2,100+4,893
    Other Registrants15,40014,52214,063-459-1,337
    Total71,84289,08481,147-7,937+9,305
 
All Persons
    JB Claims31,53050,04542,413-7,632+10,883
    JA Applications109,598123,707120,153-3,554+10,555
    Other Registrants22,31320,72820,149-579-2,164
    Total163,441194,480182,715-11,765+19,274
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Table 1(c) (XLS 38KB)
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Table 2(a) Total persons on the Live Register - Unadjusted and Seasonally Adjusted
 Unadjusted SeriesSeasonally Adjusted Series¹
 MonthMalesFemalesAll Persons MalesFemalesAll Persons
2018September115,89089,840205,730118,10092,600210,700
 October112,39786,850199,247116,70091,600208,300
 November110,83685,425196,261115,20090,600205,800
 December112,41487,255199,669113,80089,700203,400
 
2019January113,15486,473199,627112,20088,500200,700
 February111,31785,617196,934110,10087,400197,500
 March109,13083,277192,407109,50086,600196,100
 April107,76585,353193,118108,90086,700195,600
 May107,01882,849189,867106,60085,000191,600
 June108,27388,835197,108105,60084,300189,900
 July108,93697,460206,396104,80084,400189,200
 August107,84991,244199,093104,40083,600188,000
 September103,54880,235183,783105,30082,900188,200
 October100,96179,498180,459104,70084,000188,600
 November100,65976,895177,554104,50081,900186,500
 December102,87879,118181,996104,10081,400185,600
 
2020January104,60579,150183,755103,90081,100185,000
 February103,59679,020182,616102,70080,900183,600
 March113,26891,941205,209114,20095,500209,600
 April119,23295,509214,741120,70096,900217,600
 May124,960100,702225,662124,600103,000227,500
 June121,10899,763220,871118,10094,900213,000
 July132,446112,116244,562127,80098,300226,200
 August122,503103,341225,844118,60095,200213,800
 September117,52893,964211,492 118,90096,400215,400
¹ Table contains revised figures
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Table 2(a) (XLS 41KB)
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Table 2(b) Persons under 25 years of age on the Live Register - Unadjusted and Seasonally Adjusted
 Unadjusted Series Seasonally Adjusted Series¹
 MonthMalesFemalesAll Persons MalesFemalesAll Persons
2018September13,2759,39522,67013,2009,30022,500
 October12,3928,66321,05513,0009,20022,300
 November11,8328,18020,01212,7009,10021,900
 December11,7988,12319,92112,5009,00021,600
 
2019January12,3088,56920,87712,3009,00021,300
 February12,2448,62420,86812,1008,90021,000
 March12,0308,42020,45012,0008,70020,700
 April11,6788,27119,94911,9008,70020,500
 May11,8918,45620,34711,8008,50020,300
 June12,2939,25521,54811,8008,50020,300
 July12,5009,99022,49011,9008,50020,300
 August12,7269,74522,47111,9008,40020,300
 September11,9498,39320,34211,9008,30020,200
 October11,1997,71918,91811,8008,20020,000
 November11,0007,36218,36211,8008,20020,000
 December11,1007,36918,46911,8008,20020,000
 
2020January11,7387,85319,59111,7008,20019,900
 February11,6998,03319,73211,6008,30019,800
 March13,07410,32323,39713,00010,70023,700
 April14,28111,31725,59814,50011,90026,400
 May16,27813,33929,61716,20013,50029,700
 June16,34313,23629,57915,80012,20027,900
 July17,84314,82832,67117,00012,50029,500
 August17,10714,25731,36416,00012,30028,300
 September15,96012,81728,777 15,90012,70028,600
¹ Table contains revised figures
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Table 2(b) (XLS 39KB)
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Table 2(c) Persons 25 years of age and over on the Live Register - Unadjusted and Seasonally Adjusted
  Unadjusted SeriesSeasonally Adjusted Series¹
 MonthMalesFemalesAll Persons MalesFemalesAll Persons
2018September102,61580,445183,060 104,90083,300188,200
 October100,00578,187178,192 103,70082,400186,100
 November99,00477,245176,249 102,40081,500183,900
 December100,61679,132179,748 101,20080,600181,900
 
2019January100,84677,904178,750 99,90079,500179,400
 February99,07376,993176,066 98,00078,500176,500
 March97,10074,857171,957 97,50077,800175,300
 April96,08777,082173,169 97,00078,000175,000
 May95,12774,393169,520 94,80076,500171,300
 June95,98079,580175,560 93,70075,800169,600
 July96,43687,470183,906 92,90075,900168,900
 August95,12381,499176,622 92,50075,200167,700
 September91,59971,842163,441 93,40074,600168,000
 October89,76271,779161,541 92,90075,700168,600
 November89,65969,533159,192 92,70073,700166,400
 December91,77871,749163,527 92,40073,200165,600
 
2020January92,86771,297164,164 92,20072,900165,100
 February91,89770,987162,884 91,10072,600163,700
 March100,19481,618181,812 101,10084,700185,900
 April104,95184,192189,143 106,20085,100191,300
 May108,68287,363196,045 108,40089,500197,900
 June104,76586,527191,292 102,30082,800185,100
 July114,60397,288211,891 110,80085,800196,600
 August105,39689,084194,480 102,60082,900185,500
 September101,56881,147182,715 103,00083,800186,800
¹ Table contains revised figures
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Table 2(c) (XLS 41KB)
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Table 3 Summary of flows on and off the Live Register¹
  Males Females All Claimants
  Live RegisterJoined Live RegisterStayed on Live RegisterLeft Live Register Live RegisterJoined Live RegisterStayed on Live RegisterLeft Live Register Live RegisterJoined Live RegisterStayed on Live RegisterLeft Live Register
JB Claims
2019September16,6563,81812,8383,908 17,2353,18414,0518,522 33,8917,00226,88912,430
 October16,6234,59812,0254,011 18,4535,32613,1273,573 35,0769,92425,1527,584
 November16,8674,05812,8093,357 17,2043,37313,8314,280 34,0717,43126,6407,637
 December18,3093,85514,4541,922 19,1184,03315,0851,765 37,4277,88829,5393,687
 
2020January19,5115,34814,1633,557 19,1744,62614,5484,190 38,6859,97428,7117,747
 February19,3203,78215,5383,505 19,3873,42315,9642,836 38,7077,20531,5026,341
 March25,5499,38516,1642,678 28,44312,11616,3272,697 53,99221,50132,4915,375
 April28,3356,20122,1342,666 29,6654,99524,6703,124 58,00011,19646,8045,790
 May29,7805,14924,6313,114 31,2164,95626,2602,851 60,99610,10550,8915,965
 June26,6824,61122,0717,035 30,1086,18823,9206,670 56,79010,79945,99113,705
 July33,46312,85620,6075,074 37,35913,13424,2254,970 70,82225,99044,83210,044
 August24,7474,76719,98012,595 29,9594,91125,04811,558 54,7069,67845,02824,153
 September22,1544,25217,9026,010 23,9974,81619,18110,123 46,1519,06837,08316,133
JA Applications
2019September79,9275,66474,2639,656 47,5513,37944,1728,242 127,4789,043118,43517,898
 October77,4485,89571,5538,905 45,6413,93941,7026,205 123,0899,834113,25515,110
 November77,0485,22871,8206,041 44,6943,06941,6254,260 121,7428,297113,44510,301
 December77,8364,07873,7583,728 44,9742,54742,4272,529 122,8106,625116,1856,257
 
2020January78,4515,58372,8685,530 45,2123,67041,5423,733 123,6639,253114,4109,263
 February77,6544,55473,1005,772 44,9512,95941,9923,484 122,6057,513115,0929,256
 March81,2297,57373,6564,445 49,0676,50942,5582,698 130,29614,082116,2147,143
 April84,4765,30279,1742,756 51,4623,91947,5432,033 135,9389,221126,7174,789
 May88,8166,48682,3302,702 55,2605,49749,7632,175 144,07611,983132,0934,877
 June88,0885,72282,3667,061 55,2945,49149,8035,927 143,38211,213132,16912,988
 July92,7009,37783,3235,704 60,0568,34551,7114,300 152,75617,722135,03410,004
 August91,5026,17885,3248,196 58,8014,86653,9356,704 150,30311,044139,25914,900
 September89,2385,44183,7978,476 55,8564,23051,6267,703 145,0949,671135,42316,179
Other Registrants
2019September6,9651296,836347 15,44926315,1861,072 22,41439222,0221,419
 October6,8901956,695358 15,40449814,906723 22,29469321,6011,081
 November6,7441326,612322 14,99727714,720782 21,74140921,3321,104
 December6,7331496,584213 15,02634414,682407 21,75949321,266620
 
2020January6,6431676,476284 14,76429514,469636 21,40746220,945920
 February6,6221226,500192 14,68225814,424448 21,30438020,924640
 March6,490966,394257 14,43123514,196546 20,92133120,590803
 April6,421876,334203 14,38219214,190382 20,80327920,524585
 May6,364566,308148 14,22610614,120339 20,59016220,428487
 June6,338796,259165 14,36122814,133252 20,69930720,392417
 July6,283946,189212 14,70152414,177379 20,98461820,366591
 August6,254696,185166 14,58116014,421450 20,83522920,606616
 September6,136816,055263 14,11115813,953755 20,24723920,0081,018
All Schemes
2019September103,5489,61193,93713,911 80,2356,82673,40917,836 183,78316,437167,34631,747
 October100,96110,68890,27313,274 79,4989,76369,73510,501 180,45920,451160,00823,775
 November100,6599,41891,2419,720 76,8956,71970,1769,322 177,55416,137161,41719,042
 December102,8788,08294,7965,863 79,1186,92472,1944,701 181,99615,006166,99010,564
 
2020January104,60511,09893,5079,371 79,1508,59170,5598,559 183,75519,689164,06617,930
 February103,5968,45895,1389,469 79,0206,64072,3806,768 182,61615,098167,51816,237
 March113,26817,05496,2147,380 91,94118,86073,0815,941 205,20935,914169,29513,321
 April119,23211,590107,6425,625 95,5099,10686,4035,539 214,74120,696194,04511,164
 May124,96011,691113,2695,964 100,70210,55990,1435,365 225,66222,250203,41211,329
 June121,10810,412110,69614,261 99,76311,90787,85612,849 220,87122,319198,55227,110
 July132,44622,327110,11910,990 112,11622,00390,1139,649 244,56244,330200,23220,639
 August122,50311,014111,48920,957 103,3419,93793,40418,712 225,84420,951204,89339,669
 September117,5289,774107,75414,749 93,9649,20484,76018,581 211,49218,978192,51433,330
1 Flow analysis: inflows and outflows published in this table do not take account of inter-scheme activity within the Live Register. For example, if a claimant exhausts his/her entitlement to JB and opens a new JA claim this is counted as an outflow in JB and an inflow in JA.
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Table 3 (XLS 51KB)
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Table 4 Persons on the Live Register classified by region
NUTS2 and NUTS3 Regions¹September 2019August 2020September 2020Monthly changeAnnual changeUnder 25 years25 years & over
Males
      Northern and Western20,61522,06021,277-7836622,61218,665
      Border10,69811,59711,181-416+4831,4229,759
      West9,91710,46310,096-367+1791,1908,906
 
      Southern 34,71138,09537,047-1,048+2,3364,87232,175
      Mid-West10,83612,17411,827-347+9911,63110,196
      South-East12,05012,85312,557-296+5071,75610,801
      South-West11,82513,06812,663-405+8381,48511,178
 
     Eastern and Midland48,03652,86152,097-764+4,0616,55045,547
      Dublin26,75829,41429,419+05+2,6613,45225,967
      Mid-East13,28514,92314,430-493+1,1451,92912,501
      Midland7,9938,5248,248-276+2551,1697,079
      Total103,548122,503117,528-4,975+13,98015,960101,568
 
Females
      Northern and Western16,76219,64117,724-1,9179622,21315,511
      Border8,6219,9509,033-917+4121,1887,845
      West8,1419,6918,691-1,000+5501,0257,666
 
      Southern 26,67132,10629,256-2,850+2,5853,83425,422
      Mid-West7,9959,6068,722-884+7271,2887,434
      South-East9,37910,69410,026-668+6471,3748,652
      South-West9,29711,80610,508-1,298+1,2111,1729,336
 
     Eastern and Midland36,58442,84940,419-2,430+3,8354,88635,533
      Dublin18,87722,12721,205-922+2,3282,37018,835
      Mid-East11,16013,34112,360-981+1,2001,48810,872
      Midland6,5477,3816,854-527+3071,0285,826
      Total80,235103,34193,964-9,377+13,72912,81781,147
 
All Persons
      Northern and Western37,37741,70139,001-2,7001,6244,82534,176
      Border19,31921,54720,214-1,333+8952,61017,604
      West18,05820,15418,787-1,367+7292,21516,572
 
      Southern 61,38270,20166,303-3,898+4,9218,70657,597
      Mid-West18,83121,78020,549-1,231+1,7182,91917,630
      South-East21,42923,54722,583-964+1,1543,13019,453
      South-West21,12224,87423,171-1,703+2,0492,65720,514
 
     Eastern and Midland84,62095,71092,516-3,194+7,89611,43681,080
      Dublin45,63551,54150,624-917+4,9895,82244,802
      Mid-East24,44528,26426,790-1,474+2,3453,41723,373
      Midland14,54015,90515,102-803+5622,19712,905
      Total2183,783225,844211,492-14,352+27,70928,777182,715
¹ The composition of the regions is described in the Background Notes
2 From January 2018, registrations which have yet not being assigned to a DEASP local office of registration are included in the Live Register Totals. These registrations are not included in individual NUTS3/ NUTS2 totals in this table
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Table 4 (XLS 40KB)
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Table 5 Persons on the Live Register classified by last held occupation
Broad occupational groupSeptember 2019August 2020September 2020Monthly changeAnnual changeUnder 25 years25 years & over
Males
Managers and administrators5,3455,5095,316-193-291515,165
Professional5,2236,3395,802-537+5794155,387
Associate professional and technical 3,6194,1664,178+12+5593723,806
Clerical and secretarial5,2686,1015,618-483+3505855,033
Craft and related 25,55326,39925,628-771+752,07923,549
Personal and protective service7,7648,7798,608-171+8449257,683
Sales6,5507,6747,324-350+7741,8695,455
Plant and machine operatives20,25520,74020,015-725-2402,21717,798
Other occupation16,85518,27918,001-278+1,1462,47815,523
No occupation¹7,11618,51717,038-1,479+9,9224,86912,169
Total 103,548122,503117,528-4,975+13,98015,960101,568
 
Females
Managers and administrators4,4984,7474,597-150+991114,486
Professional6,9539,2147,365-1,849+4124056,960
Associate professional and technical 3,0213,4853,433-52+4122113,222
Clerical and secretarial14,89918,62714,838-3,789-6175414,084
Craft and related 4,9855,5205,365-155+3807294,636
Personal and protective service15,43618,05317,276-777+1,8402,09415,182
Sales11,65512,78712,340-447+6852,25010,090
Plant and machine operatives7,7058,1057,761-344+561,0426,719
Other occupation6,1607,3687,264-104+1,1041,2735,991
No occupation¹4,92315,43513,725-1,710+8,8023,9489,777
Total80,235103,34193,964-9,377+13,72912,81781,147
 
All Persons
Managers and administrators9,84310,2569,913-343+702629,651
Professional12,17615,55313,167-2,386+99182012,347
Associate professional and technical 6,6407,6517,611-40+9715837,028
Clerical and secretarial20,16724,72820,456-4,272+2891,33919,117
Craft and related 30,53831,91930,993-926+4552,80828,185
Personal and protective service23,20026,83225,884-948+2,6843,01922,865
Sales18,20520,46119,664-797+1,4594,11915,545
Plant and machine operatives27,96028,84527,776-1,069-1843,25924,517
Other occupation23,01525,64725,265-382+2,2503,75121,514
No occupation¹12,03933,95230,763-3,189+18,7248,81721,946
Total 183,783225,844211,492-14,352+27,70928,777182,715
¹ Includes those who never worked and those who have no stated occupation
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Table 5 (XLS 40KB)
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Table 6 Persons on the Live Register classified by duration of continuous registration
DurationSeptember 2019August 2020September 2020Monthly changeAnnual changeUnder 25 years25 years & over
Males
   Less than one year61,68777,75972,555-5,204+10,86812,05360,502
   One year or more41,86144,74444,973+229+3,1123,90741,066
   Total103,548122,503117,528-4,975+13,98015,960101,568
 
Females
   Less than one year50,50272,28063,041-9,239+12,53910,39652,645
   One year or more29,73331,06130,923-138+1,1902,42128,502
   Total80,235103,34193,964-9,377+13,72912,81781,147
 
All Persons
   Less than one year112,189150,039135,596-14,443+23,40722,449113,147
   One year or more71,59475,80575,896+91+4,3026,32869,568
   Total183,783225,844211,492-14,352+27,70928,777182,715
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Table 6 (XLS 34KB)
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Table 7 Casual and part-time workers on the Live Register
  MalesMonthly change FemalesMonthly change All PersonsMonthly change
2018September20,719-773 21,405-697 42,124-1,470
 October20,309-410 21,344-61 41,653-471
 November20,286-23 21,473+129 41,759+106
 December20,348+62 21,403-70 41,751-8
 
2019January20,079-269 21,161-242 41,240-511
 February20,090+11 21,174+13 41,264+24
 March19,803-287 20,956-218 40,759-505
 April19,280-523 20,403-553 39,683-1,076
 May18,502-778 19,894-509 38,396-1,287
 June18,259-243 19,856-38 38,115-281
 July17,915-344 19,671-185 37,586-529
 August17,543-372 19,236-435 36,779-807
 September17,408-135 18,703-533 36,111-668
 October17,320-88 18,629-74 35,949-162
 November17,562+242 18,964+335 36,526+577
 December17,754+192 19,062+98 36,816+290
 
2020January17,561-193 18,794-268 36,355-461
 February17,661+100 18,945+151 36,606+251
 March17,689+28 18,918-27 36,607+1
 April17,436-253 18,861-57 36,297-310
 May17,643+207 18,873+12 36,516+219
 June17,630-13 19,026+153 36,656+140
 July17,763+133 19,458+432 37,221+565
 August17,412-351 19,269-189 36,681-540
 September17,305-107 19,557+288 36,862+181
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Table 7 (XLS 37KB)
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Table 8 Persons on the Live Register classified by nationality grouping
  Nationality grouping
  Non-Irish nationals     
  United KingdomEU14_2020 excl. IRL 1EU15-EU27_2020 1Other  Non-Irish nationalsIrish nationalsAll Persons
2018September7,9652,42618,9106,504 35,805169,925205,730
 October7,7962,42818,6016,107 34,932164,315199,247
 November7,7872,50518,6325,983 34,907161,354196,261
 December7,9042,49719,2116,003 35,615164,054199,669
 
2019January7,8692,58819,4506,020 35,927163,700199,627
 February7,7652,59519,2385,948 35,546161,388196,934
 March7,5572,43818,8735,948 34,816157,591192,407
 April7,4722,43618,4815,953 34,342158,776193,118
 May7,4042,39318,0276,232 34,056155,811189,867
 June7,5902,46718,0606,545 34,662162,446197,108
 July7,8202,55418,1266,735 35,235171,161206,396
 August7,6672,49217,7886,696 34,643164,450199,093
 September7,0532,37217,4176,538 33,380150,403183,783
 October6,9582,26516,7855,921 31,929148,530180,459
 November6,9352,31816,8355,837 31,925145,629177,554
 December7,1402,39517,3685,890 32,793149,203181,996
 
2020January7,1552,48817,8736,031 33,547150,208183,755
 February7,1082,46917,8356,050 33,462149,154182,616
 March7,7643,54521,0788,983 41,370163,839205,209
 April8,0813,82722,17410,196 44,278170,463214,741
 May8,3984,40623,14012,483 48,427177,235225,662
 June8,2663,65321,81810,280 44,017176,854220,871
 July9,0544,08924,28911,898 49,330195,232244,562
 August8,4903,70421,40610,980 44,580181,264225,844
 September8,0503,41420,5699,756 41,789169,703211,492
1 In light of the United Kingdom (UK) leaving the European Union with effect from 1 February 2020, the EU classification has been updated.
EU14_2020 excl. IRL before February 2020 was formally classified as EU15 excl. IRL & UK.
EU15-EU27_2020 before February 2020 was formally classified as EU15 to EU28 States.
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Table 8 (XLS 40KB)
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Annex Table A1 - Number of persons availing of Activation Programmes
 August 2019July 2020August 2020
Back to Work Schemes    
Back to Work Enterprise allowance scheme -self employed strand4,6483,1172,993
Short-term Enterprise Allowance1 344209184
Total Back to Work payments 4,9923,3263,177
 
Other Activation Programmes   
DSP Part-time Job Incentive190111111
TUS - Community Work Placement Initiative (2011)5,8325,2014,283
Total Other Activation Programmes6,0225,3124,394
     
Community Employment Schemes (excluding Supervisors)521,26320,70819,705
 
SOLAS (FAS) Full Time Training for Unemployed People3,59021,25421,185
     
Back to Education Courses    
Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS)21,059746750
Back to Education Allowance (BTEA)3,59143,3162,808
Total Back to Education Courses41,9734,0623,558
     
Total Activation Programmes37,84054,66252,019
1 This scheme was introduced from 1st May 2009. It provides immediate support for someone in receipt of Jobseekers Benefit who wants to start a business.
2 Starting from January 2019, VTOS figures for 2018 and 2019 are being supplied directly from the new SOLAS computer system PLSS. VTOS figures were estimated at 5,000 per month to December 2017.
3 BTEA figures include all schemes but participants from JA & JB are not entitled to BTEA during the summer holidays. In 2020 the majority of BTEA recipients will be paid for the summer period.
4 Includes MOMENTUM participants from February 2013.
5 August 2019 revised.
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 – Annex Table A1 (XLS 37KB)
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Annex Table A2 Number of Persons on the Live Register and in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment or Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme and Total (excluding overlaps)
Category Live RegisterPandemic Unemployment Payment 2Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme 1,2Total (Excluding overlaps) 1,2,3
September 20204Males    
     Under 25 years of age15,96023,977--
     25 years of age and over101,56894,394--
     Total117,528118,371--
 
 Females    
     Under 25 years of age12,81721,575--
     25 years of age and over81,14777,196--
     Total93,96498,771--
 
 All Persons    
     Under 25 years of age28,77745,552--
     25 years of age and over182,715171,590--
     Total211,492217,142--
 
August 2020Males    
     Under 25 years of age17,10723,90627,84269,365
     25 years of age and over105,39693,659162,017351,170
     Total122,503117,565189,859420,535
 
 Females    
     Under 25 years of age14,25722,42332,66269,433
     25 years of age and over89,08484,968136,574298,717
     Total103,341107,391169,236368,150
 
 All Persons    
     Under 25 years of age31,36446,32960,504138,798
     25 years of age and over194,480178,627298,591649,887
     Total225,844224,956359,095788,685
 
July 2020Males    
     Under 25 years of age17,84329,47333,29380,101
     25 years of age and over114,603116,564212,248422,854
     Total132,446146,037242,541502,955
     
 Females    
     Under 25 years of age14,82827,60337,49178,889
     25 years of age and over97,288100,938170,711346,308
     Total112,116128,541208,202425,197
     
 All Persons    
     Under 25 years of age32,67157,07670,784158,990
     25 years of age and over211,891217,502382,959769,162
     Total244,562274,578453,743928,152
      
June 2020Males    
     Under 25 years of age16,34346,17926,28289,248
     25 years of age and over104,765178,916202,665467,153
     Total121,108225,095228,947556,401
     
 Females    
     Under 25 years of age13,23649,84423,39485,988
     25 years of age and over86,527163,994141,039369,359
     Total99,763213,838164,433455,347
     
 All Persons    
     Under 25 years of age29,57996,02349,676175,236
     25 years of age and over191,292342,910343,704836,512
     Total220,871438,933393,3801,011,748
1Revised
2Subject to revision due to different payment frequencies
3Total number of persons on the Live Register and/or receiving a Pandemic Unemployment Payment or in receipt of Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme
4The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme closed at the end of August 2020 and the CSO do not yet have access to data for the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme which replaced it so estimates for that scheme and the Total (Excluding overlaps) are not available yet for September 2020
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 Annex Table A2 (XLS 61KB)
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Annex Table A3 - Live Register total classified by Recipient and Non-recipient
  RecipientsNon-RecipientsTotal
2018September184,70721,023205,730
 October179,83319,414199,247
 November177,66318,598196,261
 December184,99514,674199,669
 
2019January179,09220,535199,627
 February178,19418,740196,934
 March174,73017,677192,407
 April170,18622,932193,118
 May171,66418,203189,867
 June175,36621,742197,108
 July184,10122,295206,396
 August180,22118,872199,093
 September164,38819,395183,783
 October159,05621,403180,459
 November159,72417,830177,554
 December168,13713,859181,996
 
2020January164,50719,248183,755
 February164,54718,069182,616
 March167,85437,355205,209
 April159,83154,910214,741
 May163,95661,706225,662
 June169,97650,895220,871
 July181,43863,124244,562
 August181,07944,765225,844
 September172,41939,073211,492
Open in Excel: Live Register September 2020 - Annex Table A3 (XLS 10KB)
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Background Notes

Source and scope of the Live Register

The Live Register is compiled from returns made for each local office to the Central Statistics Office by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP).  It comprises of persons under 65 years of age in the following classes:

  • All Claimants for Jobseeker’s Benefit (JB) excluding systematic short-time workers
  • Applicants for Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) excluding smallholders/farm assists and other self-employed persons
  • Other registrants including applicants for credited Social Welfare contributions but excluding those directly involved in an industrial dispute.

The Live Register excludes those claimants on Jobseeker schemes who are 65 years of age and over. There was no change to this exclusion criterion with the removal of the State Pension (Transition) Scheme from 01 January 2014. Persons aged 65 years can remain on a Jobseeker scheme up to their next birthday but are not included in the Live Register.

Prior to January 2017, the DEASP provided tabulated claimant counts directly to the CSO to facilitate production of the Live Register. These claimant counts were grouped by age, gender, occupation, nationality, duration, region, county and local welfare office. Data provided in this fashion is available from 1967 to December 2016.

Beginning with January 2017, the Live Register has been produced using claimant microdata from the DEASP Integrated Short Term Scheme (ISTS) database. Claimants are determined to be on the Live Register if they fulfil the Live Register criteria and such persons are summarised and cross-tabulated to produce the counts published in the Live Register release.

As claimant count microdata was retrospectively available to January 2012, previously published Live Register data for this period were revised with data produced from the claimant microdata. These revisions were generally minor in nature and are included in this release as well as all relevant Statbank tables.

Source and scope of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment

The Pandemic Unemployment Payment is a scheme set up by the Government in response to the loss of income for those whose employment had been affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland. It is compiled from returns made to the Central Statistics Office by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP). Payments under the scheme commenced on the week ending 22 March 2020, and will be reported under the Live Register release while the scheme is in place. 

Source and scope of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme

The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme is another scheme set up by the Government in response to the loss of income for those whose employment had been affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland. It is compiled from returns made to the Central Statistics Office by the Revenue Commissioners. Refunds are issued to employers registered under the scheme, who in turn pay their employees. The figures in this release reflect the number of persons receiving a payment under the scheme based on the pay date of the employee and will be reported a weekly basis as well as a monthly cumulative. Refunds under the scheme commenced on the week ending 28 March 2020, but might refer to earlier pay dates. Please see Detailed COVID-19 Income Support and Live Register Tables

Reference Periods

The reference periods for the Live Register and the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (where applicable) results are as follows

September 2020 - 31 August to 27 September 2020

August 2020 - 3 August 2020 to 30 August 2020

July 2020 - 29 June 2020 to 2 August 2020

June 2020 - 1 June 2020 to 28 June 2020

May 2020 – 4 May 2020 to 31 May 2020

September 2019 - 2 September 2019 to 29 September 2019

From May 2015 (reference period) the reference period for the Live Register refers to the week of the last Thursday in the month, previously the reference period referred to the week of the last Friday in the month.

The Live Register is not designed to measure unemployment.  It includes part-time (those who work up to three days a week), seasonal and casual workers entitled to Jobseekers Allowance and or Jobseekers Benefit.  Monthly unemployment is measured by the Monthly Unemployment release and quarterly unemployment is measured by the Labour Force Survey (formerly the Quarterly National Household Survey).

The reference Period for the Temporary Wage Subsidy scheme as reported in this release on a monthly basis is as follows:

August 2020 - 3 August to 30 August 2020

July 2020 -29 June to 2 August 2020

June 2020 - 1 June to 28 June 2020

May 2020 – 4 May 2020 to 31 May 2020

April 2020 - 30 March 2020 to 3 May 2020

The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme is also reported on a weekly basis here:  Detailed COVID-19 Income Support and Live Register Tables

Standardised unemployment rates

The Standardised Unemployment Rate (SUR) series, previously in Table 3, has been discontinued from May 2015. It has been replaced by the Monthly Unemployment series which was published on 29 September 2020.

Labour Force Survey 

The Labour Force Survey (LFS), was launched in January 2018 with the publication of Quarter 3 2017 data (Q3 2017). The Labour Force survey replaced the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS).

The LFS provides quarterly estimates of the unemployment rate.

The calendar reference quarters for survey results are:
Q1 - January to March, Q2 - April to June, Q3 - July to September and Q4 - October to December.

Seasonal Adjustment

Since January 2011 the seasonal adjustment of the Live Register is completed by applying the X-12-ARIMA model, developed by the U.S. Census Bureau. Seasonal adjustment is conducted using the indirect approach, where each individual series is independently adjusted (male under 25 years, female under 25 years, male 25 years and over and female 25 years and over). To preserve consistency between the individual and aggregate series, the series for gender, age group and total Live Register are then created from these four component series.

The X-12 ARIMA method has the X-11 moving averages process at its core, but builds on this by providing options for pre-treating the series using a regARIMA approach for prior adjustment and series extension. In essence this methodology will estimate seasonal factors while taking account of temporary changes, outliers, level shifts and calendar effects (e.g timing of Easter).

All Live Register series are updated monthly with the latest three years of seasonally adjusted data as part of the concurrent approach. The comprehensive annual review contains revisions to the entire series. Revisions to the series are typically very minor in scale.

Seasonally adjusting the Live Register series during the Covid-19 crisis period will be challenging until the scale and shape of its impact on the time series is better understood. This initial seasonally adjusted result might be revised for some months ahead as future observations become available. Users should be aware that there is increases uncertainty around the seasonally adjusted figures during this period.

For additional information on the use of X-12-ARIMA see detailed note in the January 2011 Live Register release.

Jobseeker’s Benefit Duration

Prior to 19 January 2004 Jobseeker’s Benefit was payable for 15 months (390 days).

From 19 January 2004, Jobseeker’s Benefit could be paid for a maximum of 15 months (390 days) to people who had at least 260 paid PRSI contributions.  Jobseeker’s Benefit could be paid for a maximum of 12 months (312 days) to people who had less than 260 paid contributions (Refers to new claims).

From 15 October 2008, Jobseeker’s Benefit could be paid for a maximum of 12 months (312 days) to people who had at least 260 paid PRSI contributions.  Jobseeker’s Benefit could be paid for a maximum of 9 months (234 days) to people who had less than 260 paid contributions.

As of 3 April 2013, Jobseeker’s Benefit can be paid for a maximum of 9 months (234 days) to people who have 260 paid PRSI contributions. Jobseeker’s Benefit can be paid for a maximum of 6 months (156 days) to people who have less than 260 paid contributions (Refers to new claims).

Claimants getting Jobseeker’s Benefit for 6 months or more on 3 April 2013 (or 3 months for people with fewer than 260 contributions) will not be affected.

One-Parent Family Payment (OFP)

The One-Parent Family Payment is a social welfare payment for men and women who are younger than 66 and bring up children without the support of a partner and meet certain other criteria. Claimants on this scheme are not counted as part of the Live Register.

From July 2013 new rules came into operation reducing the age limits for the One-Parent Family Payment. This means that some people no longer qualify for the payment and may avail of other schemes or supports.

As a consequence, approximately 2,800 people in July 2013, 1,300 people in July 2014 and 2,786 people in July 2015, previously receiving the One-Parent Family Payment, made a claim for Jobseekers Allowance (JA) and will therefore appear on the Live Register.

For information on the age-related changes to the OFP scheme from July 2013, please see the following link to the DEASP website:

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/278_One-Parent-Family-Payment.aspx

Live Register Flows

Live Register flows are calculated by analysing persons on the Live Register in the reference week of the reference month compared to those on the Live Register in the reference week of the previous month. The flows are calculated as follows:

Joined Live Register: Persons on the Live Register in the reference week of the current month who were not present on the Live Register in the reference week of the previous month.

Stayed on Live Register: Persons on the Live Register in the reference week of the current month who were also present on the Live Register in the reference week of the previous month.

Left Live Register: Persons not on the Live Register in the reference week of the current month who were present on the Live Register in the reference week of the previous month.

Inflows and outflows published in this release relate to persons moving on or off the Live Register. Inter-scheme movement is not counted as a Live Register flow. For example, if a claimant exhausts his/her entitlement to JB and opens a new JA claim, this is not counted as an outflow in JB and an inflow in JA. The person has moved scheme but has not joined nor left the Live Register. Thus, those persons who move schemes from one month to the next are counted as “Stayed on the Live Register”.

Live Register Area Analysis

The basis of the area analysis in Live Register statistics is the DEASP local office of registration.  The areas served by Local Employment Offices do not correspond to specific geographic boundaries.  Therefore, registrants at a given local office do not necessarily come from a particular region or area which can be precisely delineated e.g. data for the Cork City Local Offices of Registration refers to all persons signing on in Cork City but may include persons not resident in Cork City. 

From January 2018, registrations which have yet not being assigned to a DEASP local office of registration are included in the Live Register totals. Therefore as these registrations are not included in the regional breakdowns, the sum of these regions may not add to the Live Register totals.

The latest available Live Register data by Province, County and Local Office of Registration are published on the CSO website, through the CSO StatBank, on the publication of this release, see link here.

 

NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions

The regional classifications in this release is based on the NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units) classification used by Eurostat. Until Q4 2017, the NUTS3 regions corresponded to the eight Regional Authorities established under the Local Government Act, 1991 (Regional Authorities) (Establishment) Order, 1993, which came into operation on 1 January 1994 while the NUTS2 regions, which were proposed by Government and agreed by Eurostat in 1999, were groupings of those historic NUTS3 regions.

However, the NUTS3 boundaries were amended on 21 November 2016 under Regulation (EC) No. 2066/2016 and have come into force from Q1 2018. These new groupings are reflected in the LFS results from Q1 2018 onwards. The changes resulting from the amendment are that County Louth has moved from the Border to the Mid-East and what was formerly South Tipperary has moved from the South-East to the Mid-West, resulting in the new NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions:

Northern & Western NUTS2 Region Southern NUTS2 Region Eastern & Midland NUTS2 Region
Border Cavan Mid-West Clare Dublin Dublin City
  Donegal   Limerick City & County   Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
  Leitrim   Tipperary   Fingal
  Monaghan       South Dublin
  Sligo        
    South-East Carlow Mid-East Kildare
West Galway City   Kilkenny   Meath
  Galway County   Waterford City & County   Wicklow
  Mayo   Wexford   Louth
  Roscommon        
        Midland Laois
    South-West Cork City   Longford
      Cork County   Offaly
      Kerry   Westmeath

 

Occupations

Live Register occupational data is sourced from information collected by the DEASP on the most recent occupation of claimants when they sign on the Live Register.  The classification used is based on the UK Standard Occupational Classification (SOC).  “No occupation” is an additional category and includes those who have never worked and those who have no stated occupation.

Age by Duration Analysis

Detailed tables relating to regional and scheme data are available on the CSO website through the CSO Main Data Dissemination Service, StatBank, to see these please click here

Casual and part-time workers

The number of claimants on the Live Register who work on a casual and /or part-time basis is supplied by the DEASP. People who work for part of a week may be eligible for Jobseeker’s Benefit or Jobseeker’s Allowance and may also be included on the Live Register, if the DEASP is satisfied that they are not in full-time employment, are available for work and are looking for full-time employment.  

Nationality

Data in the nationality grouping table is sourced from information collected by the DEASP on the nationality of claimants when they first sign on the Live Register.

For further information or assistance use the contact details below or e-mail labour@cso.ie

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Scan the QR code below to view this release online or go to
http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/lr/liveregisterseptember2020/

Contact:

Central Statistics Office
Skehard Road, Cork T12 X00E, Ireland

Tel:
(+353) 21 453 5000
E-Mail:
information@cso.ie

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