Official figures show that the unemployment rate climbed above 20% last month as pandemic restrictions tightened across the country.

When those receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) were included, just over 20% of the workforce were unemployed in October, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This was up from almost 16% in September.

The figure was even higher, at 45%, for those aged between 15 and 24. This represented a jump from the 34% recorded in September.

Level five restrictions

The Government moved the country to level three restrictions under its COVID-19 plan early in October, while level five measures came into effect from 21 October.

A CSO analysis of PUP online applications shows that at least 8% of those receiving the payment self-certified themselves as being registered as full-time students.

The traditional measure of monthly unemployment, which excluded the effect of COVID-19 measures, stood at 7% – unchanged from September.