Key employment related measures in the July Job Stimulus

Changes to wage subsidy scheme

The Employment Wage Support Scheme (EWSS) has been introduced from July 31^st until the end of March 2021. The new scheme will run alongside the Temporary Wage subsidy scheme (TWSS) until August 31^st and will succeed the TWSS which will cease to operate from September 1^st.

Under the EWSS, eligible businesses will receive a flat-rate subsidy of up to €203 per employee per week. The exact amount of the subsidy will be based on the employee’s pre-pandemic salary.

Employers must now be able to show Revenue that their turnover or customer orders have fallen by 30% (up from a 25% decline under TWSS). Revenue will examine July to December 2020 compared against the same period last year.

Unlike under the TWSS, the EWSS will allow employers to recruit seasonal workers and new hires and avail of the support scheme.

Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) to be extended

The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) will remain available to employees who lose their job due to the pandemic until April 1^st, 2021. The PUP will be subject to tapering conditions that will bring it in line with the existing jobseekers’ benefit next year.

The PUP will be available for new claimants from September 17^th, 2020 with the maximum payment being reduced from €350 to €300. The rate of payment will be reduced again in February 2021 to bring it in line with the standard jobseeker’s payment of €203 per week.

Retraining and upskilling grants

The Government has also committed €200 million in several schemes to help individuals who have lost their jobs to find new ones. The schemes aim to allow employees to retrain or develop new skills that would allow them to take up work in emerging growth sectors.

Recruitment supports your business may be able to avail of include:

• An Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme that provides €2,000 to employers taking on new apprentices.
• Recruitment subsidies of up to €7,500 over two years to support the hiring of employees aged under 30 under the JobsPlus scheme.
• The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance and Back to Education Allowance which will be made available to people currently in receipt of the PUP.
• 10,000 additional work placement and experience scheme places will be available for those unemployed over six months.