CSSA caseload for January 2021

     The overall Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) caseload in January showed a rise of 177 cases, representing an increase of 0.1 per cent compared with that of December 2020, according to the latest CSSA caseload statistics released by the Social Welfare Department today (February 18).
           
     The total CSSA caseload at the end of January stood at 225 072 (see attached table), with a total of 318 742 recipients.
           
     Analysed by case nature, low-earnings cases registered a month-to-month decrease of 1.2 per cent to 2 491 cases. Old age cases were down by 0.3 per cent to 130 310 cases.
           
     Unemployment cases continued to increase, rising by 1.3 per cent on a monthly basis to 19 766 cases. The figure represented an increase of about 57.0 per cent in comparison with that of January 2020. On a month-to-month basis, the number of applications of unemployment cases decreased by 11.2 per cent to 928 cases in January 2021, representing an increase of about 93.7 per cent from 479 cases in January 2020.
           
     Ill-health cases rose by 0.5 per cent to 26 186 cases. Permanent disability cases increased by 0.3 per cent to 17 435 cases. Single parent cases increased by 0.1 per cent to 24 790 cases.