The Department of Social Protection has today announced that Community Employment and TÚS participants’ contracts will be further extended until the end of October 2021.

Deputy Michael Ring says “these supports will ensure the schemes can fully re-commence in local communities.

Many participants' time on the schemes has been adversely affected by the pandemic and this extension will allow participants further opportunities to complete their training and work placement experience.

It will also facilitate the planned increase in the rate of referrals to fill existing and new vacancies to ensure that opportunities to participate on the schemes continue to be available to those who are long term unemployed

From the end of October there will be a phased exit of those CE and Tús participants who have benefitted from this latest extension, over a number of months, up until February 2022”.