Local Minister Heather Humphreys encouraged employers in Cavan and Monaghan to register for the new Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) which replaces the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme from the 1st of September 2020. 

Minister Humphreys said: “The EWSS is the centre piece of the Government’s July Jobs Stimulus.

“I would like to encourage all employers and businesses across Cavan and Monaghan who believe that they will continue to experience a significant decline in their level of turnover or customer orders as a result of the pandemic to avail of it. 

“The EWSS has been designed with the needs of employers and businesses at its heart and is simple to qualify for, straightforward to operate and broad in its availability. 

“It is also important to note that employers will continue to pay PRSI at the very significantly reduced rate of 0.5% for jobs that are supported by the subsidy.”

Minister Humphreys continued: “Since March over €2.7 billion of support has been given to over69,500 employers via the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS), covering over600,000 workers.  

“The EWSS will replace the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme from the 1st of September. Both schemes haver un in parallel from July 31st until the TWSS concludes at the end of August to provide additional flexibility to employers with new hires and seasonal workers who were not previously eligible to be paid via TWSS and who may now qualify for EWSS. 

“The primary qualifying criteria for the EWSS is that the employer must be able to demonstrate that in the majority of cases, they are operating at no more than 70% in either the turnover of the employer’s business or the customer orders received by the employer by reference to the period from July to December 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.”

The Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, said: “The EWSS is intended to provide employers and businesses with a high degree of certainty that this Government will continue to support them through the uncertain period ahead for the economy and put them in a position to retain key staff and ensure viability so that they are in a strong position as the economy recovers.”

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