ONE IN THREE LAID OFF

New figures reveal the full extent of joblosses to hit Kerry

IN just three weeks a third of Kerry’s workforce have found themselves jobless and on the dole thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The devastating impact of the virus on Kerry’s economy and its peoples’ livelihoods is laid bare in new figures that reveal the vast numbers of people in the county who are receiving the State’s emergency Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

The Department of Social Protection figures show that, as of Monday, a staggering 18,500 workers in Kerry have received the payment having been laid off as a result of the COVID-19 national lockdown.

That equates to a third of Kerry’s roughly 55,000 strong workforce with the vast majority of those affected employed in the retail, hospitality and service sectors.

Though shocking, the Kerry numbers don’t provide the full picture of the unemployment crisis gripping the county.

The figures don’t include workers supported through the employers’ wage subsidy – of whom there are thousands in the county – or the additional 8,000 on ‘normal’ benefits.

With only about 90 per cent of claims processed so far it is estimated that a further 1,500 to 2,000 workers in Kerry are still waiting to receive the virus support payment, some three weeks into the virus crisis and business shutdown.

IN the last three weeks one in three workers in Kerry have lost their jobs as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown designed to contain it.

The sudden and devastating impact of COVID-19 on Kerry’s economy– and on the lives of its people – was laid bare this week with the publication of figures detailing the vast numbers receiving the Government’s emergency Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

The figures from the Department of Social Protection show that as of Monday, April 6, a staggering 18,500 workers in Kerry have received the payment having been laid off suddenly as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown.

That equates to a third of Kerry’s roughly 55,000 strong workforce as recorded in the 2016 Census.

The vast majority of those receiving the Pandemic payment are workers from the retail, hospitality and services sector which typically accounts for about a quarter of Kerry’s entire workforce.

In just a single week the cost of the Pandemic payment in Kerry alone stands at €6.5 million with this expected to rise further in the coming weeks and months.

Kerry’s Pandemic Payment figure was the eighth highest in the country – tied with Donegal – with only major cities and counties in Dublin’s commuter belt faring worse.

Though shocking, the Kerry numbers don’t even provide a full picture of the unemployment crisis caused by COVID-19.

The Department’s figures don’t include workers being supported through the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy for employers – which is managed by Revenue – of whom there are likely several thousand in the county.

Meanwhile with only about 90 per cent of claims processed so far it is estimated that a further 1,500 to 2,000 workers in Kerry are still waiting to receive the support payment some three weeks into the crisis and business shutdown.

The 18,500 people receiving the Pandemic Payment are in addition to those on the traditional Live Register in the county, of whom there were 8,064 last month.

That brings the total number of confirmed welfare claimants in the county to a massive 26,564 people, representing a threefold since the end of February.

The number of people on welfare in the county this week is more then 9,200 higher than in February 2011 when Kerry’s Live Register reached its highest ever point during the post banking crisis recession.

While it is anticipated that the vast majority of those receiving the Pandemic Payment will return to work once the Coronavirus crisis is over the figures show the scale of the economic damage that must be repaired