asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if any assessment has been made of the employment prospects of those persons who will finish first-level, second-level and third-level education this year; and, if so, if he will furnish particulars.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Youth Employment Prospects.
11.
The matter raised in this question is primarily for the Minister for Labour, who, as the Deputy is aware, answered a similar question yesterday.
My preoccupation and that of the State agencies for which I am responsible, and in particular the Industrial Development Authority, is to endeavour to provide within the limit of available resources the maximum number of job opportunities for all people seeking employment in manufacturing and related activities.
The targets for job approvals set by the Industrial Development Authority are related to the job creation targets for manufacturing industry set out in the Green Paper Economic and Social Development 1976-80. The Deputy will be aware that for this year an exceptionally high target of 23,000 job approvals has been set. To the extent that the targets in the Green Paper are based on projections of the growth in the labour force and take account of the numbers leaving full-time education each year, the IDA's job targets also take account of the need for employment opportunities for school-leavers.