Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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44. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the work her Department plans to carry out with employers in order to match persons currently on the live register or on the pandemic unemployment payment with the significant vacancies that are arising in sectors across the economy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48438/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department’s Employer Relations Division (ERD) engages with employers to advise them of the various supports and services provided by my Department to employ jobseekers. This can include providing employers with a bespoke recruitment service to fill job vacancies, where priority is given to job seekers on the live register. They engage with employers daily and can match employer vacancies to Jobseeker and PUP customers. The teams are actively engaged with employers who are facing difficulties filling vacancies at present.

ERD hosted its first virtual week long campaign for Intreo Work and Skills Week from 19th to 22nd April 2021. The concept was a tripartite presentation of supports from Government for business and jobseekers with a particular focus on recruitment, skills and learning. In total over the four half day events the total number of persons who attended this on-line event was over 12,400.

ERD hosted two large online events on the EU EURES platform, one for the healthcare sector and one for the horticulture sector. There are a further 5 EURES events planned for the remainder of 2021. ERD has also presented at eight events reaching almost an additional 1400 employers, providing information on recruitment and financial supports available to employers to employ unemployed persons. Currently ERD is working in collaboration with IBEC on an event to address labour shortages in October and a further event is planned for early December in relation to disability supports.

JobsIreland.ie is the Department’s recruitment website available to both employers and jobseekers. The platform allows employers to post and promote vacancies including posting vacancies across the EU Members States through our EURES service.

ERD also works with Activation Case Officers, Job Coaches, and Employer Relations teams in Intreo Offices countrywide. These teams have been engaging directly with employers on an ongoing basis throughout the pandemic, matching suitable vacancies with jobseekers via email notifications, pre-recorded recruitment videos featuring employers, job slots on local radio, and hosting online recruitment events across many sectors of the economy including construction, hospitality, retail, manufacturing, sales and customer service.

In June a live online recruitment event was hosted highlighting vacancies in the hospitality sector featuring a number of large employers in the Dublin/Mid-Leinster region. Over 1,000 jobseekers attended the event.

The Government's national employment services strategy; Pathways to Work 2021-2025, sets out commitments for further engagement with employers including:

- A National Employer Roadshow is planned to promote supports and incentives available to employers and to encourage employers to avail of schemes and incentives.

- Developing a promotional campaign to increase employer awareness and take-up of the available supports and

- Planning 150 job promotion events each year to showcase employment opportunities.

I trust this clarifies matters.