Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 April 2012
4Deputy Willie O’Dea asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation the number of persons under 25 years of age in employment now; the number of same unemployed; the corresponding figures in respect of 2011; his proposals to tackle this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21036/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe latest quarterly national household survey published by the Central Statistics Office in March shows that in the final quarter of 2011 there were 142,500 people under the age of 25 in employment. This compares to 157,000 in that age cohort who were in employment at the end of 2010. The quarterly national household survey also shows that in the final quarter of 2011, 59,700 people under 25 years of age were unemployed compared to 63,500 at the end of 2010.
There are two major elements to the Government's response to tackling unemployment in general. These are the action plan for jobs and Pathways to Work. The goal of the action plan for jobs is to support the creation of 100,000 net new jobs in the economy by 2016, while the aim of Pathways to Work is to help ensure as many of those jobs as possible are filled by people on the live register. Under Pathways to Work, the Department of Social Protection is committed to supporting more than 85,000 beneficiaries in job placement, work experience and back to education schemes in 2012. The Department of Education and Skills will also provide more than 457,000 training and education places including provision for early school leavers.
I call Deputy O'Dea and I will let him know when two minutes remain.
That is jolly decent of you.
The question is focused on youth unemployment. I recall that when in opposition Fine Gael produced a policy document on youth unemployment. During Question Time on 19 January 2011 Deputy Bruton expressed great concern about people under the age of 25 who were unemployed and who were emigrating. I find it strange that the Government has no specific plan for youth unemployment. I understand it has a national action plan for combating unemployment with 270 proposals but I can find only a glancing reference to youth unemployment, which is the greatest focus of unemployment in the country with more than 40% unemployment among people aged between 15 to 19 and 26.5% among people aged between 19 and 24. There is no particular focus on youth unemployment, just one glancing reference.
In his response the Minister mentioned Pathways to Work. Pathways to Work makes no reference to youth unemployment. In view of the alarming numbers of people under the age of 25 who are unemployed, the drop in the number of people under the age of 25 who are at work and the significant continuing increase in emigration of which there is considerable anecdotal evidence, does the Minister intend to formulate a plan to deal specifically with the unemployment of people under the age of 25 and will it be reflected in the rolling national action plan for employment?
My direct responsibility is for enterprise policy and we support people establishing enterprise and employment regardless of age. Many of the new opportunities being made available through decisions of companies to expand mean the recruitment of young, well-educated people. The issue about which the Deputy is concerned is younger people who perhaps have a skill mismatch or who have come out of college and need work experience. It is not my area of responsibility but as the Deputy knows the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, introduced the JobBridge scheme which specifically targets people who leave college and need to get work experience. I understand there has been a high take-up of it and it has almost achieved its target participation level. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, also examined the specific needs of young people who perhaps left education and went into construction or another sector. He has introduced schemes such as Springboard to target their need to switch. A number of interventions have been made. Deputy Burton's initiative is examining long-term unemployment and the risk profile of people who become unemployed. Young people with a risk profile will get support through her interventions. If the Deputies wish to get into the detail of this I advise them to table a question to the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, who has at her fingertips information on the structures and approach she has adopted.
I appreciate that but I am speaking to the Minister in his capacity as a member of the relevant Cabinet committee. He mentioned the JobBridge scheme. In many cases it is being treated as a means of cheap labour by employers. I take the Minister's point that the thinking behind the JobBridge scheme, which in principle is a good scheme, is to enable people to enter employment so they can acquire some experience. Unfortunately in many cases the employer looks at it from the opposite point of view, which is as a means to acquire cheap labour, and in too many cases the people being taken on are those with experience. I suggest to the Minister that he suggests to the Cabinet subcommittee, in particular to the Minister, Deputy Burton, that there is value in considering altering the JobBridge scheme to focus on people under the age of 25 so it can genuinely help those it was originally designed to help.
Will the Minister consider the recommendation made today by the National Youth Council to commission a feasibility study on how a youth guarantee scheme along the lines of the scheme operating in the UK would work here?
We are almost out of time but perhaps the Minister can give a brief reply.
I would love to be helpful to the Deputy but these are not my areas of responsibility. I know the Minister, Deputy Burton, is conducting a review of the impact of the JobBridge scheme. I am sure the reply to a parliamentary question would reveal what percentage of participants are under and over the age of 25. My limited experience is different to that of the Deputy. I know many very good companies which are putting a lot of effort into it and creating genuine training opportunities. No new scheme will be perfect and the Minister will be open to modifying and developing it and responding to the Deputy's concerns.
We will move on to Questions Nos. 6 and 18.
What about Question No. 5?
I apologise.
Deputy Fleming used up Deputy Tóibín's time.
