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Job Initiatives

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 January 2013

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Questions (421, 424)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

421. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the actions taken by her Department to address the underemployment in the labour market. [51893/12]

View answer

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

424. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps taken by her Department to tackle the issue of underemployment. [3231/13]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 421 and 424 together.

Underemployment is defined as employment where people are

1. Working part-time

2. Willing to work additional hours

3. Available to work additional hours.

There has been a significant rise in the numbers classified as underemployed in recent years, with the latest figures showing almost 148,000 people, 1 in 3 part-time workers being classified as such by the CSO. The main factor driving this rise in underemployment is the same factor that has been the main cause of the unemployment problem, namely weak labour demand. Similarly, the approach to reducing underemployment is the same as reducing unemployment. In the first instance, the Government’s primary strategy to tackle both unemployment and underemployment is to create the environment for a strong economy recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity through the Action Plan for Jobs. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth.

In addition to promoting economic recovery, the Government recognises the need for interim measures until labour demand recovers. These intervention measures involve both activation measures and income support. In many cases the activation measures contained in Pathways to Work and outlined in response to parliamentary questions on tackling long-term unemployment are also of relevance to tackling underemployment. The activation measures of particular relevance to counteracting underemployment are those that incentivise employers to give full-time jobs to persons who are currently on the Live Register (including the underemployed) – most notably the Employers PRSI Incentive and the Revenue Job Assist Scheme (which is the responsibility of the Revenue Commissioners).

Additionally, the Part-Time Job Incentive (PTJI) Scheme is intended as a stepping stone to full-time work partly in recognition of the reality of underemployment. It allows certain long-term unemployed people to take up part-time work and get a special weekly allowance instead of their jobseeker’s payment. Recipients of the Part-Time Job Incentive Scheme must be available for and seeking full-time work while getting the payment.

Finally, the Department provides income support via Jobseekers Benefit/Jobseekers Allowance to the underemployed to supplement their earned income, provided a person is working no more than 3 days a week. In addition, jobseekers payments paid in conjunction with such periods of casual employment may now count towards satisfying the 6 month qualifying period for access to the JobBridge Internship programme.

Question No. 422 answered with Question No. 409.
Question No. 423 answered with Question No. 408.
Question No. 424 answered with Question No. 421.
Question No. 425 answered with Question No. 409.
Question No. 426 answered with Question No. 408.
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