30,000 builders lead the economic revival
Labourers come off pandemic payments
‘Drop in numbers in need of assistance’ ‘Need to review nature of the PUP’
SOME 190,000 people have stopped claiming their Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment in a hopeful sign that the economy could be kick-started again, new figures show.
In the last week alone, 36,200 people closed their claims with 28,400 reporting that they were going back to work.
According to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, some 9,900 people working in construction closed their claims in the last week after building sites reopened in line with phase one of the Government roadmap for lifting restrictions.
Some 4,300 people working in wholesale, retail, car and motorcycle repair, and 2,800 in manufacturing, also closed their claims.
Minister Regina Doherty said yesterday that the peak demand for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) has passed, and she expects to ‘see an incremental drop on the numbers in need of assistance’ for as long as the disease is controlled. ‘As we gradually move through all the phases of reopening our society, we do need to review the nature of the PUP and how it fits into crossGovernment plans to keep Ireland healthy and get the country working again,’ she said.
‘We are currently considering this and will soon bring forward proposals for some changes.’
Minister Doherty also confirmed that the PUP will be extended beyond the original June end date as ‘not everybody will be getting back to work in the first phases’ of reopening the country.
Yesterday, the department issued payments of €190.2million to 543,200 people under the PUP scheme, which pays out €350 per week to individuals who have lost their employment due to the public health emergency.
The hospitality and food services sector still accounts for the highest proportion of workers claiming the payment, with 122,200 out of 543,200. A total of 682,400 have received at least one payment since the start of the scheme.
There are still 60,800 claims from people who work in construction and 80,900 from those working in wholesale, retail or repair of cars and motorcycles. There are 42,800 claims from administrative and support services activities.
The department has said that workers returning to work must close their claims on the date they start back at work.
As well as the PUP, there are now over 57,800 employers registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) which is up by 1,500 over the previous week. Over 508,100 people have received at least one payment under the TWSS which is up from the 482,800 reported last week.
The cumulative value of payments made to employers under the scheme stands at €1.31billion.
All of these payments are in addition to the 214,700 people who were reported to be on the Live Register at the end of April.
Assistant Secretary General at the Department of the Taoiseach Liz Canavan said yesterday that changes were made to the TWSS to accommodate the salaries of people who have returned to work after a period of maternity or adoptive leave but didn’t qualify as they were not on their employers’ payroll.
‘This will be implemented from March 26 where applicable. The change being made will allow for consistent treatment with other employees who were on the payroll on February 29. The system updates to support this change should be operational from June 12, 2020,’ she said.
There are now 47,800 people, who have been medically certified, in receipt of the Covid-19 Enhanced
Illness Benefit which applies to people who’ve been advised by their GP to self-isolate along with a small number of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19.
According to the Department of Social Protection, since the country entered phase one of the reopening plan, approximately 64,000 employees have gone back to work.
Phase two, which will see a number of other restrictions eased, is scheduled to commence next Monday.