Jobs Committee to seek submissions on unemployment and youth unemployment

Among the issues the Committee will be looking at are:

• The skills profile of the unemployed
• Potential sources of employment taking into account the skills profile
• Measures the Government should be taking (including reference to the Pathways to work Initiative and the Action Plan for Jobs 2012)
• Measures specifically relevant to engaging and activating the young unemployed

The Committee is interested in highlighting possible new creative solutions in order to build on progress and to reinforce ongoing efforts to deal with this very challenging situation.  The Committee is particularly interested in finding new ways to promote job creation and activation measures targeted at the young unemployed and long term unemployed. 

Submissions can be made to the members of the Committee by e-mail to jspe@oireachtas.ie or by posting information to Siobhán Malone, Clerk to the Joint Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education, Kildare House, Dublin 2 by close of business on Tuesday, 1st May 2012. 

Chairman of the Committee Deputy Damien English said:  “Thousands of people in this country have lost their jobs in recent years and many people who worked all of their lives find themselves without work, a position they never expected to be in. We know that many young people leaving school and college are finding it difficult to find a job for the first time. Opportunities for employment continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing the country and our people\"

The Committee are undertaking a study on unemployment and youth unemployment. We would like to hear from interested groups and individuals, those who are seeking jobs and those that are creating employment opportunities. We want to hear their suggestions on what further measures could be taken to tackle this problem and what new measures they feel could have a major impact.

It is important that we as a committee continue to play our part in contributing to achieving progress and finding new potential solutions which integrate social protection, education and job creation measures targeted to achieve the best results of getting people back to work.”

Groups and individuals can make your submission available to the members of the Committee via the following email address; jspe@oireachtas.ie by close of business on Tuesday, 1st May 2012.
The full text of the submission may be posted on the Oireachtas web-site and may (should the Committee agree to do so) be published in a report of the Committee.  If you have any questions regarding the publication of submissions or particularly if you wish for your details or submission to remain confidential to the Committee, please indicate this when you make your submission.  In the absence of any such indication it will be assumed that it is in order to publish any materials forwarded to the Committee. If you require any further information on making a submission, contact the Clerk of the Committee, Siobhan Malone on 01-6183126 or by email at jspe@oireachtas.ie. 

A factsheet on making a written submission to an Oireachtas Committee is available via the following link;
http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/oireachtasbusiness/www.oireachtas/committees/fact-sheets/

For further information on the Committee, its Members and its Orders of Reference, click here http://bit.ly/Hr9Jbi

For further information please contact:

Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2

P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551