The government has committed to bringing statutory sick pay into legislation by the end of 2021. This will be a major change for Irish employers in terms of costs and absence management. 

The governments statutory sick pay scheme is due to be phased in over a 4-year period. It is hoped to begin with 3 paid sick days per year for each employee starting in 2022, rising to 5 days in 2023 and 7 days in 2024. It is hoped that employers will cover the cost of 10 sick days per year by 2025. The government intend to introduce a phased approach to allow employers to prepare and adjust for the scheme and its associated costs.

In this podcast (extracted from a live webinar), Caroline Reidy discusses this new introduction and answers listeners questions live.