Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 January 2013
141. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are any circumstances in which a young person wanting to undertake a JobBridge internship will be considered without having the three month period on a qualifying payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3172/13]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that I have made Youth Unemployment a particular priority during Ireland’s EU Presidency. JobBridge is one of the key measures taken by the Department to address the problem of Youth Unemployment.
The JobBridge Scheme has made significant progress since it came into operation on the 1st July 2011. 13,770 internships have commenced to date with 5,548 participants currently on an internship as at 17th January 2013 with 1,900 internship opportunities advertised on www.jobbridge.ie as of that date. 25% of participants as of 17 January 2103 were aged between 20 and 24 years and a further 43% of participants were aged between 25 and 34 years.
At present one of the main qualifying conditions is that participants must have been in receipt of a qualifying payment for at least three months before they begin their internship. The purpose of this condition is to try to ensure that the JobBridge scheme supports those who are most in need of assistance in securing employment. At present 42% of those joining the live register exit within three months of registration. Given that very many people secure normal, open-market employment unaided during this initial three month period I would be concerned that reducing the JobBridge eligibility period could have an adverse and costly impact on the efficient functioning of the labour market, to the detriment of individual jobseekers. I would also be concerned that it would be wasteful of scarce exchequer resources to make the JobBridge scheme available in an indiscriminate manner during this initial three month period.
The recent interim evaluation report conducted by Indecon found that 67% of JobBridge participants had been unemployed for over six months and that 38% of this sub-group had been unemployed for over a year prior to commencing their JobBridge internship. Given that the long-term unemployed have particular difficulties in securing employment it is important that the scheme serves this client group first and foremost, and this will continue to be the focus of the JobBridge scheme for the foreseeable future. I will however keep the situation under review.
