Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 March 2014
99. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the degree to which his Department continues to focus on job creation likely to be of benefit to the long-term or youth unemployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12697/14]
View answer101. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which his Department, in the course of job creation in County Kildare, continues to focus on the needs of the long-term and youth unemployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12699/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 101 together.
The latest Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) shows that, in spite of the creation of an additional 61,000 jobs overall in the economy in Quarter 4 2013, the number of people under 25 years of age in employment decreased by 1,600 year-on-year. We have, nonetheless, seen a marked improvement from the 14,500 jobs lost in this age cohort in Quarter 4 2011, and the 10,600 jobs lost in that cohort in Quarter 4 2012. The QNHS figures also show that in the year to Quarter 4 2013, the number of people who were long-term unemployed decreased by 20,900. This is reflected in a drop in the long term unemployment rate from 8.2% to 7.2% year-on-year. We need to continue to build on this progress and ensure that we get as many people as possible back to work across all age groups and all regions.
Specifically in relation to County Kildare, in 2013 IDA Ireland created 309 jobs, Enterprise Ireland created 534 jobs and over 300 full-time and part-time jobs were created or sustained through supports provided by Kildare County Enterprise Board.
Clearly, the best way to address the needs of the long-term and youth unemployed is to continue our efforts to support job creation and help those who are unemployed to get back to work. The Government continues to work on these objectives through the combined efforts of the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work. There are a number of actions in both strategies which are targeted at, or amenable to, younger people and the long term unemployed. These include the JobBridge programme, the Youth Guarantee, the Momentum and Springboard training courses, and the ICT Action Plan. These initiatives are collectively delivered by the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Education and Skills.
The Government is taking steps to increase the number of places and make other enhancements to those schemes for younger people, where possible. For instance, the 2014 Action Plan for Jobs includes a commitment to ring-fence 2,000 places for people under 25 years of age under the new iteration of the Momentum programme this year. The JobsPlus Initiative, which was launched last year, also provides a financial incentive to employers to recruit people who have been unemployed for 12 months or more.
For my own Department’s part, we are putting a particular focus this year on supporting entrepreneurship, and will increase the range of supports available to entrepreneurs, including young entrepreneurs. The Local Enterprise Offices which will be established next month and rolled out during the year will be the local hub for enterprise support, delivering a comprehensive ‘first stop shop’ service to local entrepreneurs and businesses.
