Vol. 510 No. 2
57 Mr. Callely asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the frustration of many employers who are unable to fill vacancies in a broad range of job opportunities in view of the fact Government statistics show 200,000 people signing on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21886/99]
In the first place, I refer the Deputy to my reply of the 4 November 1999 to Priority Question No. 4 in response to Deputy Perry which indicates the main thrust of the actions being taken to meet our current labour market challenges.
In addition, on the specific question of assisting the unemployed gain access to employment I would refer to the substantial efforts being made under the preventive strategy outlined in the employment action plan. Since commencement of this support regime, over 19,900 unemployed persons have been referred by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs to FÁS for supports. Over 12,800 of these referrals were young unemployed, under 25, of whom 76% had left the live register by end-September 1999, with over 60% per cent leaving for positive reasons – to a job, FÁS training programme or returned to education.
I have committed in this year's employment action plan to the extension of this programme of supports to all adult unemployed, as they cross nine months of unemployment, by the middle of next year.
The combination of these preventive actions together with the significant level and scale of interventions available which are targeted at the long-term unemployed to assist in their re-integration into the open labour market, is proving effective. Unemployment has fallen substantially as evidenced by the fall of 30,000 in the numbers unemployed, as shown in the most recent quarterly national household survey release, published by the Central Statistics Office last month. It is most encouraging to note that almost three-quarters of this fall was accounted for by a fall in the numbers long-term unemployed. The overall trend reduction shown in the survey measure is mirrored in the live register in which there was a decline of over 34,000 in the comparable period.
