CSSA caseload for March 2022

     The overall Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) caseload in March showed a rise of 242 cases, representing an increase of 0.1 per cent compared with that of February, according to the latest CSSA caseload statistics released by the Social Welfare Department today (April 21).
      
     The total CSSA caseload at the end of March stood at 216 688 (see attached table), with a total of 302 599 recipients.
       
     Analysed by case nature, low-earnings cases registered a month-to-month decrease of 1.0 per cent to 2 183 cases. Old age cases slightly decreased by 0.1 per cent to 123 470 cases.
      
     Unemployment cases increased by 1.7 per cent on a month-to-month basis to 18 866 cases. The figure represented an increase of about 49.9 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 January to March 2022 was 534 per month, representing an increase of 20.5 per cent from that in December 2021 to February 2022.
      
     Both Ill-health cases and single parent cases increased by 0.1 per cent to 27 010 cases and 23 672 cases respectively. Permanent disability cases remained steady at 17 464 cases.