Helping People, Especially Young People, Get Back to Work

The Pandemic Unemployment Payment, due to end in August 2020, is being extended by 7 months until 1 April 2021, giving those on emergency income support greater security as the country recovers and job opportunities return.

The Pandemic Unemployment Payment and Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme have played a huge role in sustaining household incomes through the worst of the crisis.

Between now and April, there will be a gradual reduction in payment level, linked to previous incomes, bringing payments in line with existing social welfare levels over time.

The scheme will close to new claimants from Thursday 17 September 2020.

A €200 million investment in training and education, skills development, work placement schemes, recruitment subsidies, and job search and assistance measures, will help those who have lost their jobs find a new one, retrain, or develop new skills, in particular for emerging growth sectors.

This will include:

• 10,000 additional places on work placement and experience schemes available for those unemployed for over 6 months
• 12,500 additional places funded through the Training Support Grant for short term skills training
• 35,000 additional places in further and higher education. These will be delivered through a variety of measures including Skills to Compete Initiative (SOLAS), Skillnet, Springboard+ and the Human Capital Initiative, as well as through additional undergraduate and postgraduate provision in the Higher Educational Institutions
• the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme will provide a €2,000 payment to support employers to take on new apprenticeships in 2020
• a Retrofit Skills Training Initiative will support future expansion of the National Retrofitting Programme
• 8,000 recruitment subsidies under the JobsPlus scheme. Subsidies of up to €7,500 over two years will be available for employers to hire someone under the age of 30 who is on the Live Register or the Pandemic Unemployment Payment
• the capacity of the Public Employment Service will be increased to support jobseekers through job search advice and assistance, including through contracted services such as JobClubs, JobPath and Local Employment Services
• the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance and Back to Education Allowance will be extended to people currently in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment
• 3,000 additional places will be funded on State Employment schemes such as Community Employment and Tús