Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:31. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the implementation of the Youth Guarantee. [7086/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 21 February 2017
Ceisteanna (31)
Freagraí scríofa
The Government’s primary strategy to reduce youth unemployment is through policies to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth and the availability of productive employment for young people. This strategy has been succeeding; by the third quarter of 2016 the number of people in employment was up by 200,000 from the lowest level reached in 2012. The youth unemployment rate has fallen from 31.1% in July 2012 to 13.5% in January 2017. The actual number of young unemployed has fallen from 70,000 to 27,500 over this period. Having being far above typical EU levels, Irish youth unemployment is now significantly below the EU average – which was 18.6% at the end of 2016.
Policies to reduce youth unemployment, framed in the context of the EU Recommendation on a Youth Guarantee, concentrate assistance to young people in finding and securing sustainable jobs. To this end there is monthly engagement by case officers with all young unemployed to facilitate their return to employment. For those who do not find employment, additional offers are provided for. Most such offers (over 70%) are in further education or training. Others are in community-based employment programmes such as CE, Gateway and Tus, or through the JobsPlus employment subsidy for private employment.
Places on most of these programmes are demand led, and take-up by young people has fallen in line with the substantial fall in youth unemployment. The number of young people entering the programmes was 23,000 in 2014 and 19,000 in 2015. Final figures for 2016 are not yet available, but are expected to show a further fall on the 2015 level.
I am confident that the measures taken under the Youth Guarantee, together with the continuing economic recovery, will support further reductions in youth unemployment.
Questions Nos. 32 to 38, inclusive, answered orally.