Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2015
24. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if an annual review takes place of the JobsPlus scheme and other related schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17243/15]
View answerJobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who recruit employees from the Live Register and those transitioning into employment. It provides employers with two levels of payment - €7,500 or €10,000 over two years - paid in monthly instalments provided the employment is maintained. The rate of payment depends on the length of time the person is unemployed. At the end of March 2014, the Department made payments of just over €1.69 million to 3,279 employers in respect of 4,424 employees.
The Department undertook a review of the pilot phase of JobsPlus covering the period July 2013 to June 2014. The key conclusions of the review was that the aim of putting in place an easily identifiable and user friendly scheme targeted at employers had been achieved. The Department identified that, during the pilot period, some 9,700 jobseekers has checked their eligibility for JobsPlus and that a greater proportion of jobseekers more than 24 months on the live register benefitted in this period, contrary to expectation prior to launch. The initial target of 2,500 supported positions had been exceeded at the end of June 2014 with the number of positions registered by employers exceeding 4,000 during the pilot phase. The review noted that the average level of subsidy paid at the end of June amounted to just over €373.78 per employee per month and that there was a net benefit to the Exchequer from each employee maintained in employment.
The Department is now updating the review to cover the first 18 months of operations of JobsPlus, in line with commitments in Pathways to Work. It is expected that this latest work will be completed by the end of May.
