The number of people in Kerry claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) has fallen by half since the peak.
This is according to the latest data from the Department of Social Protection.
This week (up to June 8th), 11,173 people in Kerry are getting the Pandemic Unemployment Payment as they have lost their job due to the pandemic.
That's a decrease of 1,158 people compared to the previous week (12,331) and reflects the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the opening of more parts of society.
At the peak on May 4th, 2020, 22,217 people in Kerry were in receipt of PUP.
924 people in the county informed the department they were closing their PUP payment and returning to work this week; last week's figure was 809.
Up to June 8th, six more Kerry people claimed the Enhanced Illness Benefit due to having COVID-19 or needing to self-isolate; the total number of people who have claimed this benefit in the county stands at 3,359.
