Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 February 2022
17. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the status of the Programme for Government commitment to promote higher female labour market participation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7022/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government committed to promoting higher female labour market participation, as well as less commuting and greater regional balance, through increased remote, flexible and hub-working arrangements, to support families in their parenting and childcare choices.
According to the latest available data from the Central Statistics Office’s Labour Force Survey, female labour force participation is at a record high. This is in the context of a significant labour market recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, which started in Q2 2021.
In Q3 2021, the female participation rate stood at 60.1 percent, a 5 percent increase on Q3 2020, and a 3.8 percent increase over Q3 2019. The female participation rate has grown significantly more than the male rate since Q3 2019, just prior to the pandemic, closing the gender gap in the workforce. The male rate has increased by 1.3 percentage points during this time, to 69.8 percent.
The number of women in the labour force is now 105,000 higher than in Q3 2019, compared with growth in the male labour force of 60,500. The total number of women in the labour force is now over 1.2 million, of which 1.16 million are in employment, with women representing 46.8 percent of the labour force.
As well as continued funding increases for early learning and childcare, Making Remote Work, Ireland’s National Remote Work strategy, seeks to address obstacles to labour market inclusion, and female participation in particular, due to the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work undertaken by women. It is enabling improved access to the workplace through greater flexibility in terms of time management, childcare and commuting options.
The Government’s labour market activation strategy Pathways to Work 2021-2025 is also working to support greater female labour market participation. Its commitments include development and implementation of a new ‘Returners’ programme, to help integrate those who left or have been outside the workforce for some time, increasing the number of children in receipt of State supports for Early Learning and Care and School Age Funding Programmes, and ensuring that the particular circumstances of lone parents are considered in the assessment of a Working Age Payment.
