More than 36,000 people returned to work last week

Assistant General Secretary at the Department of Taoiseach Liz Canavan

A further 36,200 people have returned to work in the last week, with numbers claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment now down to 543,200.

That figure is down from a peak of 598,00 at the beginning of May, with the weekly cost of the payment at €190 million.