Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2015
115. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the extent to which the various schemes available to her Department are making positive and beneficial impact on the numbers of young persons who are unemployed; her future expectations in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17848/15]
View answerThe Government's primary strategy to tackle youth unemployment is through policies to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth and the availability of productive employment for young people.
However, the Government recognises that as the recovery takes hold, there is a need for additional measures to ensure that as many as possible of the jobs created are taken up by jobseekers and young jobseekers in particular. This is the rationale behind the Government's Pathways to Work strategy and the Youth Guarantee.
The Youth Guarantee sets a medium-term objective of ensuring that young people receive an offer of employment within four months of becoming unemployed. The main plank of the guarantee is assistance to young people in finding and securing sustainable jobs. For those who do not find employment, additional offers are provided for. Most such offers (over 70%) are in further education or training. Others are in community-based employment programmes such as CE, Gateway and Tús, or through the JobsPlus employment subsidy for private employment.
Reflecting the impact of government policy, and the overall improvement in the labour market, youth unemployment continues to fall (with a rate of 21.1% in March 2015 estimated by Eurostat, as compared to 25.9% in March 2014 and a peak of over 30% in 2012).
Pathways to Work 2014 targets with respect to the Youth Guarantee have largely been achieved. In addition it the following targets in Pathways to Work 2015 have been or are expected to be met:
- Roll out the First Steps developmental internships programme for 1500 – 2000 young people.
- Introduce JobsPlus for Youth
- Allocate 1,000 places on the Tús scheme to young people.
- Introduce a pilot programme to support young unemployed people to take up opportunities under schemes such as Your First EURES Job.
- Ring-fence a minimum of 2,000 training places for under-25s by the Department of Education and Skills, under a follow-up to the Momentum programme.
I am satisfied these measures, together with the continuing economic recovery, are having a positive and beneficial impact on young people, and will enable the young unemployed to avail of employment opportunities now and into the future.
