Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 September 2021
176. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which his attention has been drawn to the difficulties experienced by various sectors in the economy in obtaining the necessary levels of staff in the aftermath of Covid-19; if he has in mind specific actions to address this issue sector by sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44168/21]
View answerThe past year has been a difficult year for most businesses, and some sectors have been more severely impacted by public health restrictions and for a more prolonged period. Our Economic Recovery Plan, published in June, commits to ongoing support for people and businesses to make a full return to work. Assisting businesses and people in those sectors where the impacts of the pandemic have been most severe is prioritised in the plan in a targeted way. Our Economic Recovery Plan also sets out medium term policies to underpin a sustainable and balanced recovery and a commitment to invest in infrastructure and reforms to enhance our capability and long-term capacity for growth.
The Government is committed to creating the right environment for a jobs-led recovery and to getting people back to work as quickly as possible. While numbers in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment continue to reduce, significant numbers of people remain in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment in Accommodation and Food Service Activities (27,545), Wholesale and Retail Trade (22,434) and Administrative and support service activities (16,504), and construction (11,725) sectors.
Our Economic Recovery Plan set an ambitious target to exceed pre-crisis employment levels by having 2.5 million people in work by 2024 and in more productive and resilient jobs. The Plan commits to further strengthen Ireland’s Skills Framework to ensure people are supported to secure and remain in sustainable and quality employment. As the PUP is phased out, helping people back to work and reducing the risk of labour market scarring and entrenched long-term unemployment is a priority for Government. This will be achieved through a combination of upskilling and reskilling with substantially accelerated training and skills opportunities and increased activation capacity through Pathways to Work 2021-2025.
The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025, which targets 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per annum by 2025, is an important mechanism to address skills shortages in particular sectors. Retail Ireland’s Skillnet Apprenticeship in Retail Supervision and the National Hairdressing Apprenticeship are good examples of programmes providing job-ready qualified professionals in those sectors. My colleagues, Simon Harris, TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and Niall Collins, TD, Minister of State for Skills and Further Education, recently announced a further extension of the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme until the end of December 2021 which provides financial support for employers who register apprentices to a national apprenticeship.
The pandemic has accelerated previously existing trends and shifts which have potential to significantly reshape business models and sectors. Many of these changes are likely to be permanent with potential to fundamentally alter Ireland’s economic outlook. Not all previous jobs will return, while capacity constraints may emerge very quickly in certain areas. The twin decarbonisation and digitalisation transition and associated behavioural changes will profoundly alter the economy.
Embracing these transitions will also open up substantial new opportunities for businesses and support significant job creation. Identifying and developing the skills required in growing sectors of the economy is critical to Ireland’s competitiveness. The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) advises the Government on projected skills requirements across the Irish economy and makes recommendations on how existing education and training systems and delivery mechanisms, as well as other sources of skills supply, can be improved.
Innovation, collaboration and knowledge are the cornerstone of a sustainable growth model and underpin the agility needed to respond to an evolving sectoral landscape. The Government is committed to creating the right environment for a jobs-led recovery by helping business become more resilient and agile, by increasing Ireland’s competitiveness, and through a focus on expanding sectors. The education, training and research sectors will be supported to respond to the challenge.
