CSSA caseload for December 2021

     The overall Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) caseload in December 2021 showed a drop of 750 cases, representing a decrease of 0.3 per cent compared with that of November, according to the latest CSSA caseload statistics released by the Social Welfare Department today (January 18).
              
     The total CSSA caseload at the end of December stood at 216 933 (see attached table), with a total of 306 377 recipients.
              
     Analysed by case nature, low-earnings cases registered a month-to-month decrease of 1.1 per cent to 2 217 cases. Single parent cases showed a drop of 0.7 per cent to 23 785 cases. Old age cases were down by 0.3 per cent to 124 104 cases.
              
     Unemployment cases decreased by 0.9 per cent on a month-to-month basis to 18 495 cases. The figure represented an increase of about 46.9 per cent in comparison with that of January 2020 when Hong Kong just started to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The average number of applications for unemployment cases in October to December 2021 was 469 per month, representing a reduction of 7.7 per cent from that in September to November.
             
     Ill-health cases slightly increased by 0.1 per cent to 26 887 cases. Permanent disability cases remained steady at 17 518 cases.