Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 February 2017
292. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if her attention has been drawn to the fact that in the progress report of the Limerick regeneration framework plan published in December 2016 that of 32 electoral divisions in Limerick city 11 have a youth unemployment rate of 60% or more; her plans to address this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6332/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraYouth unemployment is primarily a policy matter for my colleague, Minister Varadkar.
Government policy to reduce unemployment is two-fold. First, through policies set out in the national Action Plan for Jobs, to create an environment in which business can succeed and create jobs and second, through Pathways to work to ensure that as many of the new jobs and other vacancies that arise in our economy are filled by people taken from the Live Register, including young people.
The Action Plan for Jobs is a whole of Government, national level initiative aimed at creating the optimum conditions for private sector and export led job creation. Its objectives include the creation of an additional 200,000 jobs by 2020, including 135,000 outside of Dublin.
Key actions within the Plan on increasing the numbers of apprenticeship and traineeship schemes will help to support employment growth, in particular, youth employment.
The Pathways to Work 2016-2020 strategy, which is the responsibility of my colleague, Minister Varadkar, has set a target of bringing youth unemployment to 12% or less by 2020 in the context of an overall employment rate of 6%. It continues to prioritise support for the long-term unemployed and youth unemployed and commits to increasing the share of workplace-based interventions for youth unemployed.
The measures in the Action Plan for Jobs designed to support jobs growth, together with the targeted measures delivered by the Department of Social Protection, will support further reductions in youth unemployment, both long and short-term.
