New social welfare changes come into effect today for jobseekers who have paid at least five- years of PRSI contributions.

The Department of Social Protection said the new pay-related benefit scheme will ensure people with a strong work history will get a higher rate of payment if they lose their job.

The introduction of the new scheme will bring Ireland in line with other EU countries and will have three rates of payment, starting at €450 a week.

Susanne Rogers research and policy analyst with Social Justice Ireland welcomed the pay related system.  

“For people who have been employed for a certain length of time, for a certain amount of hours per week, will now be able to get an increased payment,” she said. 

“What you would have is a system where every single person who lost their job had the same flat rate. 

“Now what we’re seeing is that there is a pay related element to social welfare - which is really to be welcomed.” 

A social welfare inspector office. Picture by: Alamy.com 

The precise rate of social welfare an applicant can claim will depend on the applicant's employment history. 

“It will all depend on how long you were working and what your wages were,” Ms Rodgers said. 

“All of those things will be taken into account, so there will be different payments linked to that. 

“It will be paid for a shorter period of time than the current job seeker’s benefit, with the understanding that when they looked at the figures, most people who lost a job were back in employment quite quickly, within the six months.”

Minister Dara Calleary said that he would “encourage anyone who has lost their job and who meets the conditions for this new scheme to make an application through MyWelfare.ie.”

Main image: A social welfare office. Picture by: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland