163,400 people are receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week - the lowest figure recorded since the pandemic started.
Over 4,500 of those are to recipients here in County Wicklow.
The figure marks a drop of 29,000 on last week, which saw the resumption of indoor dining.
Just under 7 thousand of those who closed their claim work in the accommodation and food service sector, with 4,000 involved in retail.
More than 8.3 billion euro has now been spent on the PUP since it was launched in March 2020.