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Over 10,000 more employers have signed up for emergency financial help in the last two days, the Department of Finance has said.
There are now almost 36,000 registered with Revenue for the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme through which the State subsidises the salaries of workers.
On Thursday, the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe TD appealed to employers whose businesses have been impacted by the crisis to engage with the scheme as a way of retaining their link with employees who can then continue in their roles once things return to normal.
“It is important to note that those who have already laid off workers can still avail of the scheme by re-employing them now,” Mr Donohoe said in a statement.
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“Those employers who have cash in reserve, and who have been hit by a decline in business, can also still qualify for the scheme. And finally, applying for the scheme is not a declaration of insolvency, as some have suggested. These points have been clarified by the Revenue Commissioner but are worth restating.”
He has asked employers to give serious consideration to the support in order “to do what we can now to strengthen our position in the future”.
The latest registration figures - to 8pm on Wednesday - show 35,830 employers, up 10,106 since the same time on Monday.
The scheme enables employees to receive significant supports directly from their employer through the payroll system.