Data reveals Donegal as third highest county for Jobseeker’s Allowance in 2024
County sees significant drop in the number of Jobseeker's Allowance recipients compared to 2023
Recently-released Government statistics revealed that Donegal was the third highest county in the number of Jobseeker’s Allowance recipients in the state.
The 2024 Annual Statistics Report shows that only Dublin and Cork have a higher number of Jobseeker’s Allowance recipients than Donegal.
Jobseeker’s Allowance is a payment to people who are unemployed and be actively seeking employment.
In Donegal, there were 6,176 Jobseeker’s Allowance recipients in 2024, compared to 8,286 recipients in Cork and 26,391 recipients in Dublin.
The county with the fewest recipients of Jobseeker’s Allowance was Leitrim, with 1,196, followed by Monaghan and Longford, although these counties have comparatively smaller populations than Donegal.
Despite Donegal having a high number of Jobseeker’s Allowance recipients, there was a 16.9% decrease in recipients in 2024 compared to 2023, when there were 7,414 recipients.
Elsewhere, Donegal saw a 9% decrease in Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment recipients and Farm Assistance supports, a 6.6% drop in One-Parent Family Parent supports, and a 5% drop in the number of Maternity Benefit supports in 2024 compared to 2023.