Joint research by the Central Bank and the Central Statistics Office has found that without the PUP and wage subsidies, household incomes would have fallen by 20% in the second three months of last year due to Covid-19.
The research finds that with the support of the PUP and wage subsidies, median gross household income fell by 1.7% in the months from April to June compared to the same period in 2019.
Incomes actually rose by 3% in the months from July to September. Income supports were found to be most beneficial to lower income households.
Without supports, incomes in the bottom half of earners would have fallen by between 20 and 30%. Higher income earners would have seen a fall of 8 to 13%.