Both domestically and internationally, there is a significant body of empirical evidence that demonstrates the positive role labour activation measures can play in stimulating economic recovery and in increasing the employment prospects of participants.
While many have been displaced from their employment by the pandemic, a significant share of these people have already returned to work, and others will continue to return to their previous employment, as public health restrictions continue to ease. This week there are 221,000 in receipt of the PUP, representing a reduction of approximately 55% from the most recent peak seen in February, when public health restrictions were at their highest level this year. However, it is inevitable that some jobs will be permanently lost, and additional numbers of persons will require State support to find new jobs and in transitioning back to work.
A central focus of Government’s Economic Recovery Plan, which was launched on June 1st 2021, is on helping people get back to work, through the provision of employment supports, additional training, reskilling and work placement opportunities.
Central to achieving this objective will be the Government’s forthcoming national employment services strategy, ‘Pathways to Work 2021-2025’, which will be launched later this month. By increasing labour market supports, and through the provision of employment supports, activation and skills opportunities, the Pathways to Work strategy will act as a key delivery mechanism of the Economic Recovery Plan’s second pillar ‘Helping People Back into Work’.
Pathways to Work, and the response across the Public Employment Service and Further Education and Training Sector, will focus on supporting people to prepare for and gain employment, including in providing upskilling and reskilling opportunities to facilitate people to transition into quality sustainable jobs in high-performing growth sectors (including sectors such as biopharma, MedTech, information and communications technology and FoodTech).
My Department works closely with the Further Education and Training sector to provide access to training, upskilling and reskilling opportunities for those made unemployed, many of which are linked to growth sectors. Among these opportunities are those offered by Skillnet Ireland as well as the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme (AIS) which my colleague, Minister Harris, announced last week would be extended until the end of December 2021. The AIS scheme provides financial supports for employers who register apprentices to a national apprenticeship. In addition, the new Action Plan for Apprenticeship will continue the progress of developing and promoting apprenticeship provision, including in new and emerging sectors, over the next five years.
Finally, it is also worth noting the ongoing work and engagement between my Department and the agencies of the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment, such as Enterprise Ireland, the IDA and Local Enterprise Offices at a regional level. In particular, this is done through the nine Regional Skills Fora, each of which has its own sectoral composition and specific skill requirements. This engagement allows both my Department, and the Further and Higher Education sector, to tailor its response to meet the needs of regional enterprises, many of which are in the specialised high-performing sectors referenced by the Deputy. In this way, my Department supports transitions into sustainable employment.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
