Neale Richmond
Ceist:140. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the figures on the Live Register; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24214/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 17 May 2022
Ceisteanna (140)
Freagraí scríofa
Prior to the impacts of COVID-19 being felt in Ireland, in mid-March 2020, the Live Register stood at just over 183,000. In response to the emergence of the virus in Ireland, the Government introduced the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS), which subsequently became to the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS).
As a result of the introduction of these emergency COVID response schemes, the influx of people into the Live Register during the pandemic was much more muted than otherwise would have been the case, with the vast majority of income support recipients supported through the PUP. Over its lifetime the PUP supported around 880,000 individuals who were unable to work due to the public health restrictions.
On foot of the successful rollout of the vaccination programme and the lifting of public health restrictions the PUP and EWSS have been gradually unwound. Following the PUP payments on the 29th of March, the transition process to full jobseeker terms for all remaining PUP recipients commenced with the first jobseeker payments, for this cohort, paid on the 5th of April. I am pleased to report, that following these transitions, as of the week ending on the 8th of May, the Live Register stands at around 175,400, below pre-pandemic levels.
While current Live Register trends are encouraging, I remain acutely aware of the challenges many people face in regaining their footing in the labour market in the wake of COVID-19, including those who were unemployed prior to the pandemic. The current Live Register figures show that while figures are below pre-COVID levels, a greater share, approximately 51 percent, are now long-term recipients, when we include their time spent on the PUP. As such, my Department is working to actively provide assistance to all those jobseekers who may need help to return to employment, education or training. In doing so, we will seek to mitigate the risk of labour market scarring as a result of the pandemic and to ensure that no one is left behind during our economic recovery.