Austin Deasy
Question:146 Mr. Deasy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reason there are still a number of able bodied people who are unemployed despite the demand in the workforce. [17257/01]
Written Answers. - Live Register.
Strong economic and employment growth has resulted in substantial decline in unemployment, particularly long-term unemployment. Based on the most recent quarterly national household survey, for the first quarter of 2001, the unemployment rate has fallen to 3.7%, down from 4.7% one year earlier.
There were 65,600 persons unemployed in the first quarter of 2001, an annual fall of nearly 16,000. Of that total, there are now just over 21,000 persons who are long-term unemployed based on the ILO measure. The fiscal and job creation policies pursued by the Government in recent years have contributed to an overall reduction of 93,000 in the numbers unemployed since April 1997. Nevertheless, there will always be an element of short-term unemployment in the economy. These persons represent a pool of unemployed who remain for short periods in unemployment pending their transition to a job.
For persons who are long-term unemployed, studies indicate that such persons face multiple barriers to taking up work, for example, a lack of education and skills, misuse of drugs, literacy problems or age barriers. The Government has in place a range of measures aimed at tackling remaining levels of unemployment. The preventative strategy under the employment action plan represents a fundamental approach aimed at intervening with persons at an early stage of unemployment – before six months for young persons and before nine months for adult unemployed – to offer such persons a job or other employability support in their transition to a job. This strategy has been very successful in the num bers of persons supported and who have subsequently left the live register.
For persons who become long-term unemployed, there is in place a range of programmes to assist in their transition to employment. These include a range of FÁS training and retraining programmes and work experience such as community employment. In addition, there are programmes in place which are the responsibility of other Departments such as the back to work allowance scheme and the vocational education and training opportunities scheme.