Vol. 556 No. 3
97 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the main features of the Employment Action Plan for 2002 submitted to the European Commission; the anticipated level of job creation indicated in the plan; the number of such jobs which have been created to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20350/02]
The 2002 employment action plan was prepared in the context of guidelines agreed under the EU employment strategy. The plan covers a wide range of actions under the broad headings of preventing long-term unemployment and assisting people in the transition from unemployment to employment; providing incentives for labour market participation through taxation and benefit structures; tackling labour market bottlenecks, including skills shortages; tackling discrimination and exclusion of all disadvantaged or marginalised groups; modernising work organisation and the reconciliation of work and family life; and tackling gender gaps and gender mainstreaming.
Under the employment action plan, it was envisaged that employment would grow by 24,000 by the end of 2002. Most recent statistics from the CSO show that 1,749,900 persons are in employment, an increase of 33,500 in the year to May 2002. Another indicator in the employment action plan is the achievement of a higher employment rate with an EU target of 67% by 2005 and 70% by 2010. The employment rate in Ireland grew from 59.4% to 65.7% between 1997 and 2001.
