More than 10,200 unemployed people had their social welfare payments reduced last year over their failure to fully cooperate with efforts to find them work.

New figures published by the Department of Social Protection also show that the number of jobseekers penalised for their lack of engagement with employment activation programmes is more pronounced in certain counties including Waterford, Limerick, Wexford, Louth and Laois.

Official figures provided in response to a parliamentary question by Social Democrats TD, Aidan Farrelly, show that 10,232 unemployed individuals had their social welfare payments reduced in 2024, compared to 5,235 the previous year.

A reduction in social welfare payments to unemployed persons was introduced in 2011 as a measure to encourage jobseekers to cooperate with efforts to find them work.

The figures show that 3,356 people in Dublin had their jobseeker payment rates reduced last year – the highest number for any county as expected for the most populated area.

However, Waterford had the second highest number of unemployed people who were penalised over their lack of engagement with employment activation programmes with 658 followed by Limerick (649), Cork (556), and Wexford (502).

Other counties with comparatively high numbers of sanctions applied to jobseekers included Louth (441), Laois (326), and Longford (119).

In contrast, several counties had relatively few jobseekers affected by reduced rates including Kildare (336), Donegal (237), Meath (198), and Kilkenny (44).

The lowest number of sanctions applied were to unemployed persons in Carlow (31), Sligo (32), and Roscommon (35).

Commenting on the figures, the Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary said his department was committed through the Pathways to Work programme to encourage the take-up of employment opportunities including by the implementation of reduced rates “for non-engagement with the Intreo employment service.”

Additional reporting by Seán McCárthaigh.

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