Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 April 2012
120 Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Social Protection the range or suite of incentives available to employers, to employ persons under the age of 25 years who are on the unemployment register; if she will outline the criteria involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21071/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraJob protection and creation has been identified as a key priority of this Government and is central to Government policy. The Government has introduced a range of reforms and incentives to support, protect and create jobs, including through the Jobs Initiative in May 2011 which among other measures reduced VAT rates for labour intensive sectors such as tourism. It also halved the lower rate of PRSI until end-2013 on jobs that pay up to €356 per week.
In February 2012 the Government published a comprehensive "Action Plan for Jobs". It has identified a range of specific actions to drive job creation under a range of headings. These actions are spread across numerous Departments and Agencies encompassing a whole of Government approach to protecting and creating jobs.
While Responsibility for employer incentives and job creation, in the main lies, with my colleague Richard Bruton TD, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, my Department also offers a number of supports to employers.
The Employer (Job) PRSI Incentive scheme was launched in 2010 and has now been simplified and extended as part of the Action Plan for Jobs 2012. Under the scheme, if an employer takes on an additional member of staff in 2012, who has been unemployed and in receipt of an eligible payment for 6 months or more, they will be exempt from paying employers' PRSI for 18 months. The job must be new and additional, be for at least 30 hours a week and last for at least six months. The exemption is available for new and additional employees up to 5% of employers existing workforce or, for smaller companies, a maximum of 5 new jobs.
The Government launched a National Internship Scheme, JobBridge in 2011. JobBridge provides work experience placements for interns for a 6 or 9 month period. This will operate for 2 years and provides 5,000 internship placements in the private, public and voluntary sectors. The aim of the national internship scheme is to assist in breaking the cycle where jobseekers are unable to get a job without experience, either as new entrants to the labour market after education or training or as unemployed workers wishing to learn new skills. The Host organisations complete an online application form to advertise placements which are then advertised on the Jobs Ireland website. Interns receive an allowance of €50 per week on top of their existing social welfare entitlement.
These incentives are available to all employers who take on additional staff or interns from the many well qualified people on the live register of various ages.
