Almost 277,700 people will receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week - a fall of just over 28,500 from last week's figure of 306,220, according to the latest figures from the Department of Social Protection.
Claimants will be getting a double payment to cover both this week and next week, when no payment will be processed due to holiday period.
The total cost of this week's payment and next week's advanced payment is €160m.
A further 16,600 people closed their claims over the last seven days in order to return to work.
In addition to the 277,700 people claiming the PUP, a further 194,058 people were reported on the Live Register at the end of November.
Between PUP and Jobseekers claims, over 471,758 people are entirely dependent on the State for income support.
This figure does not include workers whose jobs are being subsidised by the Government via the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme.
The sectors with the highest number of PUP recipients are Accommodation and Food Services Activities (74,101), Wholesale and Retail Trade (40,406), and Administrative and Support Service Activities (28,099).
This week the largest age cohorts closing claims to return to work were under-25s (5,521), those aged between 25-34 (3,897) and the 35-44 age group (3,474).
The top sectors for the closure of PUP claims to return to work were Accommodation and Food Service Activities (7,760), Wholesale and Retail Trade (2,503) and Hairdressers and Beauty Salons (2,125).
Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said that the total number of PUP recipients has now fallen by 75,000 over the last month.
However, she noted the rise in case numbers, adding: "I know this is a worrying time particularly for workers in the hospitality sector and Cabinet will meet tomorrow to decide on the next steps following the latest public health advice."
She stressed that the PUP scheme would remain open for applications "and will be available to assist anybody whose job is impacted by further restrictions".
She cautioned that the increased number of cases meant people must re-double their efforts to contain the virus.
"This will be a Christmas week like no other and we all need to take personal responsibility for our behaviour. Make no mistake - your actions over the next few days will make a difference.
"We cannot sacrifice all the hard work of the last nine months or put the lives of our loved ones at risk just as vaccines are about to arrive," said the minister.
The department also revealed that since the launch in March of the Covid-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment, 95,233 people aged under 66 have been medically certified to receive it - either because they have contracted the virus, or because they have been instructed to self-isolate on a precautionary basis.
1,724 people are currently receiving the benefit.
