The fourth quarter of 2024 marks the sixth consecutive quarter that there were more welfare recipients than in the same quarter a year earlier. Previously, the number of welfare recipients was smaller compared to a year earlier for nine consecutive quarters. Over the past ten years, the number of people receiving a welfare benefit has decreased by 28 thousand, a decrease of 6 percent. During the same period, the potential labor force from age 15 to retirement age has grown by 907 thousand people, an increase of 8 percent.