Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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109. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which employment levels have improved in both the manufacturing and services sectors following the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions; the extent to which he has identified particular issues needing attention; the action taken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52855/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The labour market recovery has gathered momentum as labour intensive services sectors have reopened, with the level of PUP recipients falling below 100,000 since mid-October. This recovery has been experienced in both the services and manufacturing sectors. In the case of manufacturing, the level of PUP claimants has fallen from a high of 37,400 to under 6,000 in November. One of the service sectors most heavily impacted was accommodation and food service, and that has seen an almost 90% decline in the number of workers from that sector receiving PUP since the peak in 2020.

While the relaxing of public health restrictions has resulted in more businesses re-opening and in turn increased employment, some sectors will take longer to return to their pre-COVID-19 levels of employment or may never return to the levels of pre-pandemic employment.

These workers in vulnerable sectors that may not recover will need to be supported to upskill and retrain for employment in other sectors. The Economic Recovery Plan outlines how the Government will facilitate workers in retraining and upskilling and assisting them in the transition from declining to expanding sectors.

The Pathways to Work 2021-2025 Strategy will help those people whose jobs have been permanently lost as a result of COVID-19. It is focusing on preventing long-term unemployment and on younger workers who have lost jobs. Under the Strategy, Intreo Offices will be provided with increased resources to act as a one stop shop for jobseekers, a new paid work placement experience programme will be introduced, the number of apprenticeships and further education training places available will be increased, and improved access to further education and self-employment opportunities.

These measures will help ensure the measures are in place to aid workers whose employment has been severely impacted by the pandemic and that we have a labour force that can take advantage of the new opportunities that arise form the green and digital agendas.