“Pathways to Work” is the Government’s national employment strategy, which aims to encourage job creation and reduce long-term unemployment. This strategy sets out the Governments priority to provide employment supports and access to employment opportunities to assist with tackling long-term unemployment. This strategy is working - with the unemployment rate now at 3.9%, which is the lowest level seen in 22 years.
A distinctive client journey has been embedded into the employment services process, whereby jobseekers on the Live Register, after engaging with Intreo in the first twelve months are referred to the Intreo Partner Employment Services. Those who are unemployed after 24 months are referred to an Intreo Partner service, which has been specifically designed to engage with those with greater barriers to the labour market. In this way, the client is referred to the most appropriate service at each point in time on their client journey.
The Public Employment Service offers a range of supports to help people prepare for and secure sustainable employment. The service is delivered, mainly through one-on-one engagements, where a range of options are explored and a personal progression plan is agreed. These plans can include referrals to suitable employment opportunities, training, work placement, education, or support with self-employment.
The Department provides a number of supports to long-term jobseekers to return to employment. The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance is available to those who would like to become self-employed, state employment schemes such as Community Employment and Tús provide direct employment opportunities for the long-term unemployed. The Work Placement Experience Programme helps to break the cycle of ‘no work, no experience’ and ‘no experience, no work’ that often puts people at risk of long-term unemployment. Recruitment subsidies such as JobsPlus, offer a financial incentive of up to €10,000 to employers who hire somebody who is long-term unemployed.
People in receipt of a Jobseeker's payment are required to engage with the Department's mandatory Public Employment Service to assist them to secure and sustain full-time paid employment or self-employment. Failure to engage can result in the reduction or suspension of their payment. One of the statutory conditions for entitlement to a Jobseeker's payment is the requirement for a person to be genuinely seeking full-time work. To satisfy this condition, it is necessary for the person to demonstrate that they are making genuine efforts to secure employment. Control and review measures are undertaken by the Department to ensure compliance with these regulations. Due to Covid-19 reductions in jobseeker's rates were not applied during 2021 and early 2022. The practice resumed in the summer of 2022 and for the second half of 2022 a total of 1,134 reductions were applied.
Finally, my Department's Public Employment Service will continue to work closely with employers to focus on improving employment outcomes for groups that face barriers in accessing the labour market.
