Over 11,000 jobseekers had welfare payments cut last year

Ken Foxe

The number of jobseekers who had welfare payments cut for failing to engage with employment services more than doubled last year.

The Department of Social Protection said just over 11,000 people had their benefits reduced in 2025 for a variety of reasons.

That compared to 4,838 in 2024 as the department sought to crack down on people in receipt of payments but not cooperating with welfare offices.

Payments can be reduced by around a third, with the most common weekly sum of €254 brought down to a penalty rate of €164.

A breakdown of cases for last year showed 3,717 people who “without good cause … did not attend a ‘follow-on one-to-one’ appointment, having failed to attend at least one previous activation appointment.”

There were a further 4,986 people who had benefits cut for failure to show up for an activation review meeting, having already missed at least one previous appointment.

There were 2,144 cases where a person’s welfare was chopped for missing meetings around other job activation schemes.

17 people were penalised for dropping out of a course of education, training or development “without good cause.”

There were 45 cases where somebody lost some of their benefits due to dropping out of a prescribed employment scheme.

The Department of Social Protection also cut welfare for 23 people who failed to agree actions on their personal progression plan.

Others were penalised for refusing to take part in education or training, or prescribed employment schemes, according to records released under FOI.

The vast majority of people who had their benefits decreased were on Jobseeker’s Allowance, 10,097 in total.

Another 694 were on Jobseeker’s Benefit while a smaller number were being paid through transitional schemes or a scheme for the self-employed.

Overall, 11,082 people were penalised by the Department last year – an increase of 129 per cent when compared to 2024.

Asked about the figures, a Department spokesperson said: “Reduced rates were introduced as a means of encouraging jobseekers to engage proactively with Intreo Employment Services and to avail of the employment supports available to assist them in securing employment.

“A reduced rate is a final step in a process to encourage a jobseeker to avail of the employment supports on offer and once a jobseeker resumes engagement with the employment support service, the reduced rate is lifted immediately.”

The spokesperson added that application of a reduced rate and the duration of that were “totally within the control” of the person concerned.