Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 May 2018
18. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the discussions her Department has had with other Departments to address the issue of unemployment blackspots; and if there have been specific actions taken to address the fact that eight of the top ten unemployment blackspots are in Limerick city. [16829/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnemployment blackspots are small areas identified in the Census of Population in 2016 as having particularly high levels of joblessness. In general, they are small residential areas within larger urban areas, with a significant number within the city of Limerick. The approach adopted by my Department is that the services delivered by Intreo are focused on unemployed individuals rather than on areas. This means, therefore, that those areas where unemployed individuals are most concentrated will also be the areas that receive a greater share of income support payments and activation and employment services. The focus of those services is to support unemployed people living in, for example, the relevant parts of Limerick to access and prepare for jobs in the wider labour market of the greater Limerick area. This involves substantial co-operation between my Department and other public authorities, particularly those engaged in education and training under the Department of Education and Skills. These areas in Limerick will also have benefitted from the general improvement in employment conditions in the Mid-West region where unemployment, as shown in the Labour Force Survey, has fallen from a peak of 16.6% in late 2012 to 6.6% by the end of 2017. Numbers in employment in the region have increased from 153,700 to 178,500 over the same period.
While data from the Labour Force Survey is not available at the county level, trends in the Live Register can give an indication of underlying trends in local unemployment. Overall, the Live Register in Limerick has fallen by almost 54% in the 5 years to February 2018, well above the reduction of 44% nationally. In the year to February 2018, the Live Register in Limerick has fallen by 1,674 people, or 16%, again surpassing the national trend of 13%.
The Government’s primary strategy to tackle unemployment since 2012 is twofold:
Firstly the Action Plan for Jobs, which is led by my colleague the Minister for Business Enterprise and Innovation, sets out to create an environment in which business can succeed and create jobs. This policy now includes a specific regional Action Plan for the Mid-West Region that has seen over 16,500 jobs created in the region in the last two years. Successful implementation of this Plan is targeted at the creation of 23,000 extra jobs in the region by 2020. The Plan aims to achieve this through building on key sectors of potential for the region like Aviation, Lifesciences, Engineering, Internationally Traded Services and Tourism.
Secondly, through Pathways to Work, my Department ensures that as many new jobs and vacancies as possible are filled by people taken from the Live Register. Under this policy, as I have said, employment services and activation supports are heavily concentrated on the areas of highest unemployment, including those in Limerick.
To date, the policies being pursued under the Action Plan for Jobs and under Pathways to Work have been effective in reducing unemployment, both nationally and in Limerick and I am confident that they will continue to do so.
