Laura Bambrick: PUP was an extraordinary payment that served us well in extraordinary times

The remaining 45,000 recipients of the pandemic unemployment payment will transfer over to the ordinary jobseeker’s benefit

To help slow the spread of the virus the Department of Social Protection would process the equivalent of 19 months of claims in the first two weeks of the PUP being introduced for workers who lost their job. File photo: Denis Minihane.

Farewell pandemic unemployment payment, you served us well.

The last payment of the PUP will be paid today as the emergency support comes to an end, almost two years to the day after it was introduced. The remaining 45,000 recipients will transfer over to the ordinary jobseeker’s benefit.