Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2019
83. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if she will introduce legislation or guidelines to regulate remote working to protect both the rights of workers and interests of business; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20604/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraIncreasing participation in the labour force is a Government priority as evidenced by its inclusion as one of the five Pillars in Future Jobs Ireland 2019, launched on 10 March last.
Future Jobs Ireland focuses on five Pillars namely:
1. Embracing Innovation and Technological Change;
2. Improving SME Productivity;
3. Enhancing Skills and Developing and Attracting Talent;
4. Increasing Participation in the Labour Force; and
5. Transitioning to a Low Carbon Economy.
While the first two Pillars focus on building economic resilience through greater productivity and innovation, the remaining Pillars emphasise the role that wider social policies have in shaping how Ireland’s managers and workers must adapt for the changes ahead and how we can move towards decarbonisation.
Future Jobs Ireland addresses challenges to participation in the labour force by developing and implementing a range of new initiatives aimed at easing barriers to entry into the workforce including investment in Early Learning and Care, providing tailored activation and training supports and generating attractive employment opportunities including intelligent working arrangements.
Future Jobs Ireland sets out a number of medium-term Ambitions concerning Increasing Participation in the Labour Force as follows:
4.1 Encourage participation in the labour force through high-quality Early Learning and Care
4.2 Foster participation in the labour force through flexible working solutions
4.3 Improve incentives to participate in the labour force
4.4 Encourage adult dependants and beneficiaries of other full-time welfare payments to engage in activation, enter and/or stay in the workforce
4.5 Undertake promotional campaigns to encourage greater levels of participation in the labour force
As the nature of work and society changes, the way we organise work must also. As noted above, one of the Ambitions in Future Jobs Ireland 2019 is to foster participation in the labour market through flexible working solutions. Flexible working solutions, including part-time, remote working, compressed hours, home-working and job sharing, could improve labour market participation, particularly amongst women with young children, as well as those with caring responsibilities, older people and people with disabilities. Flexible working can also provide solutions for those who would otherwise take unpaid parental leave but cannot afford to do so.
Flexible work can assist in the development of an inclusive society. In a tightening labour market, such as that in Ireland, offering flexible working options can benefit employers, workers and wider society. We already have many companies in Ireland who offer remote working to their employees and this trend is only going to increase in the future. For workers, flexible work solutions such as remote working can mean substantial savings in terms of rents and property costs while also reducing the need to commute leading to a better work-life balance. For businesses, intelligent working arrangements can support staff retention, a more motivated workforce with fewer sick days and greater productivity as well as the opportunity to draw workers from a larger pool of talent.
Future Jobs Ireland 2019 assigns my Department to conduct research on the prevalence and types of remote working arrangements within the Irish workforce, and the attitudes towards such working arrangements, as well as the factors which inhibit employers and employees to partake in such arrangements. Under Future Jobs Ireland 2019, the Department of Justice and Equality will develop guidance to support employers in offering more family-friendly working options and promoting the adoption of flexible and or remote working solutions and structures for parents. In addition to this, the Department of Justice and Equality will commence a national consultation on the extension of flexible working options to all employees. The findings of the research and the outcome of the national consultation may lead to the development of further, new deliverables for inclusion in the next stage, Future Jobs Ireland 2020.
My colleague, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty T.D., is responsible for employment legislation. I understand that in view of the legislation already in place, it is not clear at this juncture what specific additional legislative provisions would be required to regulate remote working. However, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection continuously monitors existing employment rights legislation to ensure that it continues to be relevant and fit for purpose and is updated to reflect international developments at European Union, Court of Justice and International Labour Organisation level. Where any new legislation is proposed, that Department engages in extensive consultation with all relevant stakeholders, to ensure that an appropriate balance is struck between the rights of workers and the interests of business.
