Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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80. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the extent to which she and her Department expect to be in a position to manage the transition from a high level of dependence and support associated with Covid-19 to a return to work maintaining support where needed and reducing dependency on social welfare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5339/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, the COVID-19 pandemic represented an abrupt and adverse shock to Ireland’s labour market, quite unlike any other, and resulted in an unprecedented demand for financial supports from the State. Latest available figures from the CSO suggest that Government’s pandemic related supports – the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and Temporary/Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (T/EWSS) – have, in total, supported over 1.4 million people since their introduction in March 2020.

Since the later half of 2021 however, Ireland’s labour market and economy has seen a sharp recovery as public health restrictions have eased, businesses reopened, and people returned to work. Employment figures from the CSO up to end-September 2021 suggest that the number of people employed in Ireland had in fact increased from pre-COVID-19 levels. In line with these positive developments, the number of people dependent on pandemic supports, particularly the PUP, have declined considerably. Recent analysis published by my Department showed that at least 73 percent of former PUP recipients were back in work as of mid-September 2021.

Latest figures from my Department indicate that 75,413 are currently in receipt of the PUP, approximately 22,000 of whom entered following the latest restrictions in early December. However, I expect the vast majority of these individuals to quickly return to employment following the Government’s recent decision to remove the majority of remaining public health restrictions. Moreover, in line with the easing of these restrictions, PUP is now closed to new entrants and the remaining PUP recipients will gradually transition to the jobseeker terms in the coming months.

While overall dependence on COVID-19 supports has declined hugely, I am acutely aware that there will be a significant number of people who will have permanently lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. It is also important that we do not forget those who were unemployed prior to COVID-19 and those facing higher barriers to employment. All these people will need intensive support to help them regain their footing in the labour market and return to work.

It was with this core objective in mind that Pathways to Work 2021–2025 – the Government’s new employment services strategy –was published in July 2021. It set out provisions to expand the caseload capacity of the Intreo Public Employment Service, through a 50 percent increase in the number of Intreo Case Officers.

Under Pathways to Work, my Department also introduced a series of employment supports to help individuals return to employment, to reskill and to find new jobs. These include:

- A new paid Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP), which is a 6 month, 30 hour per week voluntary work experience programme, to provide 10,000 unemployed people with the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job experience.

- Expanding the JobsPlus scheme to 8,000 places and enhancing the incentive to recruit young jobseekers.

- Funding 50,000 additional places in further and higher education, including via Skills to Compete, Skillnet Ireland, Springboard+ and the Human Capital Initiative.

- Increased funding for the Back to Education scheme which leads to second and third level qualifications, with a target of increasing participation in education programmes to 7,700.

- The provision of an extra 3,000 places on State Employment Schemes, including Community Employment, to support long term unemployed people, get back to work.

- An increase in the maximum value of the Training Support Grant available via Intreo from €500 to €1,000 to help over 12,500 jobseekers per annum access relevant and accredited training programmes.

While the Pathways to Work strategy is still in its early stages of implementation and COVID-19 related supports still being gradually unwound, I am confident that my Department and Intreo have the necessary resources and programme capacity to support all those in need of support re-enter the workforce. In doing so, we will further reduce dependency on State supports, while maintaining welfare support for those that need it most.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.