Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 June 2021
212. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which he expects job opportunities in the construction sector to increase over the next three months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30413/21]
View answerThe construction sector was negatively impacted following the introduction of restrictions late last year. The number of individuals from the construction sector claiming the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) rose steadily in the early weeks of the year and reached a high of 62,902 claimants on the 9th February this year.
The phased reopening of the construction sector, beginning on 12th April with the recommencement of all residential construction projects, saw a sizeable decline in the number of PUP claimants. The full reopening of all construction on 4th May saw further improvements and the number of PUP claimants from the construction sector has now more than halved, with only 28,758 claims related to the construction sector on the 25th May and a further decline of 2,278 on the 1st June.
This shows that more and more construction workers have returned to work as employment opportunities appeared due to the reduction of public health restrictions on the construction sector. Based on this trend it is likely that the number of individuals from the construction sector claiming PUP will continue to decline over the coming weeks.
It is also worth noting that the Employee Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) has been an important measure that has helped maintain employment in the sector during the pandemic.
As was the case with PUP, the number of employees in the construction sector that were supported by the EWSS increased sharply in January 2021. This vital scheme continues to provide valuable financial assistance to employers and has helped ensure employees remain within the sector, with almost 37,600 employees participating in April 2021.
