THE SECTOR WITH the highest number of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is the accommodation and food services.

Over 102,321 people in the sector are on the payment. 

The PUP is a social welfare payment for employees and self-employed people who have lost all their employment due to the public health emergency.

The next sector most impacted, as of 1 December, is the wholesale and retail trade with 56,893 workers in receipt of the payment.

The chart, produced by Statista and based on figures from the Department of Social Protection, shows that other sectors, including hairdressers and beauty salons, account for over 31,000 people on the benefit. 

Data from the Department of Social Protection shows that younger people are the highest cohort of workers on the payment. 

Some 89,254 people on the PUP at the moment are under the age of 25.

Over 80,000 are between the age of 25 and 34-years-old.

Unsurprisingly, the county breakdown shows that Dublin has the highest number of people on the PUP, with over 114,530 on the payment. 

This is followed by Cork, Galway and Kildare. 

Meanwhile, Kerry as 14,000 people in receipt of the payment.

Leitrim has the lowest number with just over 2,000 people on the PUP.

As of yesterday, there are 351,424 people in receipt the PUP, of which 176,881 are female and 174,543 are male.

The latest figures show that €103.65 million has been paid out in PUP weekly payments. A further €129.2 million has been paid out in arrears to 286,000 people this week.

The largest group on the PUP fall into the tourism sector, which is an area the Taoiseach said will need a “significant reboot after Covid-19″.

The government is “doing everything we possibly can to keep the edifice of our tourism sector intact through the variety of schemes we have introduced”, Micheál Martin said yesterday.

A new national economic plan, which is currently being developed, will target the tourism sector, said the Taoiseach.

The Taoiseach said the government will be keeping the trajectory and prevalence of the virus under review and the public will be updated on next steps.