Willie O'Dea
Question:765. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the rate of long-term youth unemployment here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32908/17]
View answerTuesday, 11 July 2017
Questions (765)
Written answers
Government policy to reduce unemployment is twofold. First, through policies set out in the Action Plan for Jobs, to create an environment in which business can succeed and create jobs; and second, through Pathways to Work to ensure that as many of these new jobs and other vacancies that arise in our economy are filled by people taken from the Live Register, including young people.
To date, these policies have been effective in reducing youth unemployment and long-term youth unemployment in particular. The number of young Irish people who are unemployed for over a year has fallen from a peak of 35,600 in Q4 2011 to 9,300 in Q1 2017. The overall youth unemployment rate has fallen from a peak of 31% in 2012 to 11.9% in June 2017; the rate of long-term unemployment for young people has fallen from a peak of almost 16% to 5%. Overall youth unemployment has fallen from well above the EU average in 2012 to well below the EU figure now.
Looking forward, in the context of Pathways to Work 2016-2020, the government has adopted several high-level targets relevant to the question raised:
- Reducing the unemployment rate to between 5% and 6% by 2020;
- Bringing youth unemployment to 12% or less by 2020 in the context of an overall unemployment rate of 6% or less;
- Decreasing long-term unemployment to 2.5%.
Targets were not set for intermediate years. However, it seems clear based on the most recent developments in the labour market that these targets are now likely to be achieved or indeed improved on.
The Pathways to Work 2016-2020 strategy continues to prioritise support for the long-term unemployed and young unemployed. This includes the roll-out of the payment-by-results services of JobPath to engage more systematically with the long-term unemployed, including long-term unemployed youth; providing targeted wage subsidies under JobsPlus; and through reserved places for long-term unemployed jobseekers on employment and training programmes.
Pathways to Work 2016-2020 additionally commits to: increasing the share of workplace-based interventions for youth unemployed; ensuring that monthly engagement, at a minimum, is consistently applied and maintained; restructuring the First Steps programme; and implementing the Defence Forces Skills for Life programme.
I am confident these measures, and continuing economic recovery, will support further reductions in youth unemployment, both long- and short-term, and add to the substantial improvements that have already been seen over the last few years.
Questions Nos. 766 and 767 answered with Question No. 749.
Question No. 768 answered with Question No. 723.