The Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) has ended more than two years after its predecessor, the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS), was established by the government to support businesses at the outset of the pandemic.

The government announced it would gradually wind EWSS down in Budget 2022, and payments ceased for most business on 30 April, with a one-month deferral for businesses, mostly in the hospitality sector, affected by the public health restrictions enacted last December.

Nearly €10.7bn has been paid under the wage subsidy schemes -- €2.8bn in respect of TWSS and close to €7.9bn through EWSS. The former scheme supported 67,000 employers with almost 690,000 employees while the latter supported 51,900 employers with almost 744,000 employees.

Commenting on the end of EWSS, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said: "Today marks the end of the very successful Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), over two years after a wage subsidy scheme, the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS), was first introduced in March 2020.

"The wage subsidy schemes played a crucial role in preserving employment and incomes and supporting businesses at a very challenging time during the pandemic.

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"The success of the schemes is clearly evident by the employments supported, as well as how quickly our economy adapted and recovered following the lifting of public health restrictions."

Photo: Paschal Donohoe announced extensions to EWSS, CRSS and the tax debt warehousing scheme in December. (Pic: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie)