About 35 employers have contacted the Department of Social Protection over the last fortnight with concerns about staff who were receiving the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) being reluctant to return to work. It said it noted the concerns expressed recently regarding employers facing difficulties in re-hiring staff. DifficultiesIt again said that employers who faced difficulties in re-hiring staff could notify it and it would follow-up on the cases concerned. The Department of Social Protection said it had “received reports from 17 employers last week and from 18 employers the previous week, stating that they were experiencing difficulties in getting staff to return to work”. Separately the Department of Social Protection said on Tuesday that there were about 13,500 fewer people receiving the PUP this week compared to last week.

Source: The Irish Times May 18, 2021 17:12 UTC