Responding to the publication of the July Jobs Stimulus Package Orla Moran, General Manager of IrishJobs.ie, says:
“IrishJobs.ie welcomes the Government’s July Stimulus Package and its focus on rebuilding the Irish jobs market.
“Today’s announcement will be welcomed by employers, particularly supports including the creation of new employment supports to include the extension of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) until April 2021 and a ‚¬200 million investment in a retraining and upskilling programme to help those who may have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 pivot into new careers.
“It’s very positive to see schemes for businesses such as the Restart Grant, which will allow SMEs to draw down funding of between ‚¬4,000 and ‚¬25,000 to provide an immediate cash injection. In addition, new measures including the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme and the JobsPlus Scheme will help incentivise employers to hire many of the under 30s who may have lost their jobs since the onset of Covid-19.
“These are obviously exceptionally challenging times for businesses in Ireland and its further compounded by IDA Ireland’s predictions that foreign direct investment will slow down in the next two years. To this end, supporting indigenous Irish employers is a welcome and strategic move by the Government today.
“Thankfully, we are beginning to see reasons for optimism. The findings from the latest IrishJobs.ie Jobs Index signal that the employment market is starting to reopen and rebound, with a 14% increase in job postings over the period of May to June. More specifically, the biggest spike in new vacancies occurred on 30 June – the day after we entered Phase Three of the Government’s roadmap for reopening society and business.
“The correlation between this spike in activity and the reopening of many businesses across the country reaffirms that we are moving in the right direction, but we must acknowledge that there is still a way to go before we return to pre-Covid recruitment levels.”
“The schemes and measures announced today go a long way to support both employers and employees in the immediate period ahead. The extension of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme is a particularly welcome development and will support thousands of businesses to retain their existing staff, who they may have had to let go without financial support.
“The retraining and upskilling programme is another great support for those who may need to change their career path, and we hope that it will open a new door for some of those who have found themselves unemployed as a result of Covid-19.”