asked the Minister for Labour if his attention has been drawn to the widespread and growing practice of employers to confine jobs to those persons who have been unemployed for more than six months in order to take advantage of State benefits; and their failure to include this intention in the public advertisements of such jobs.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Recruitment Practice.
11.
The final decision on recruitment to a vacancy rests with the employer and I have no function in the matter.
The employment incentive scheme administered by FÁS offers grants to employers to increase their workforce. To be eligible, a person must have been on the live register or have attended a training course prior to or following a period on the live register for a minimum period of 13 weeks, or be disabled.
A higher grant is payable in respect of the recruitment of long-term unemployed persons over 25 years of age. This approach is based on my policy to assist as many long-term unemployed as possible to obtain employment. I should say that I would like to see an increase in the number of long-term unemployed recruited under the scheme.