September/October Edition

ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 57 Industry News New Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme F inance Minister Paschal Donohoe is encouraging employers to register for the new Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme which replaces the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme from the 1st of September 2020. The new EWSS is an economy- wide support open to all sectors and gives a subsidy to qualifying employers on the basis of the numbers of paid employees on the employer’s payroll. The EWSS will replace the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme from the 1st of September. Both schemes have run 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. 400 new jobs for Regeneron in Limerick T aoiseach Micheal Martin has announced more than 400 new jobs, bringing a total headcount to over 1,400 at the Regenweron Industrial Operations and Product Supply campus in the Limerick area. The creation of more than 400 new jobs is part of Regeneron’s long- term commitment to Ireland and the Limerick community. Since 2014, Regeneron has invested over $1 billion to build the largest bulk biologics production facility in the country, with over 1,000 employees, more than 300 contingent workers and close to 500 construction personnel currently working on site. Recruitment is underway to hire full-time, high-end specialist jobs in commercial manufacturing, process sciences, quality assurance/control, supply chain and various support functions for scientists, chemists and technicians. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: "This significant jobs announcement by Regeneron is a further vote of confidence in the skills and talent of our workforce and provides a welcome boost to our economy. Ireland continues to resonate with leading global companies for investment. The government’s mission over the coming months and years is to rebuild our society and economy in the post- COVID world. We need to get people back to work and to protect and create sustainable jobs. This announcement is an important and welcome step in that journey."