Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 October 2013
99. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps being taken to provide employment for the young and long-term unemployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42941/13]
View answer100. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which his Department expects to be in a position to create further job opportunities for the young and long-term unemployed over the next two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42944/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 100 together.
The number of unemployed people under 25 years of age fell by 11,200 in the twelve month period to Quarter 2 2013. The unemployment rate for young people fell from 33% to 29.6% over the same period. This downward movement in youth unemployment in Ireland differs from the trend in the EU as a whole, where youth unemployment has continued to rise. However, youth unemployment continues to present a major challenge for Ireland as it does for most other EU Member States.
The latest CSO figures also indicate that the long term unemployment rate is also showing some signs of improvement, having decreased from 9.2% to 8.1% over the year to Q2 2013, a drop of 24,500 people. Long term unemployment now accounts for 58.2% of total unemployment, compared with 61.8% a year ago.
The Government’s primary strategy to tackle unemployment is to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity through the Action Plan for Jobs. In addition, the Government recognises the need for measures to support the unemployed and keep jobseekers close to the labour market. In this context, the major elements of the Government’s response are set out in Pathways to Work, which is aimed at ensuring that as many as possible of the job vacancies that are created as the economy recovers are filled by people from the Live Register - with a particular focus on those who are long-term unemployed or at risk of long-term unemployment.
Pathways to Work has a target of moving 75,000 people into employment by the end of 2015 through programmes such as JobBridge, Springboard, Momentum and the ICT Action Plan, which are delivered by the Departments of Social Protection and Education and Skills. The JobsPlus initiative, which encourages employers to recruit people who have been unemployed for 12 months or more, was also launched on 8th July last.
The Department of Social Protection is also working with relevant Departments, including my own, to produce a concrete plan for implementation of the Youth Guarantee in Ireland, for consideration by the Government before being transmitted to the European Commission by the end of the year.
My Department is also keen to support young entrepreneurs and, in this context, initiatives such as Enterprise Ireland’s Competitive Start Fund and New Frontiers Programme, along with the Microenterprise Loan Fund, will all contribute to supporting young entrepreneurs. The Government will also publish a Policy Statement on Entrepreneurship, including youth entrepreneurship, this year.
The Government’s aim is that, by continuing the process of transforming our economy through the Action Plan for Jobs, we can increase employment opportunities for all those who are seeking work.
