April saw the comprehensive social security assistance caseload fall 0.3% on March to 284,990 cases involving 489,818 recipients, with jobless cases down 1.3%, the Social Welfare Department says.

Jobless cases fell 1.3% in April to 31,285, while single-parent and low-earning cases also dropped 0.1% and 0.5% to 36,597 and 16,795.

Old-age cases stood at 152,021, accounting for 53.3% of the total. Single parent and jobless cases accounted for 12.8% and 11%, while 8.6% related to ill health, 6.3% permanent disability and 5.9% low earnings.