asked the Minister for Labour the number of jobs provided for young people in the past 12 months; the current figure for youth unemployment in the 16-25 age group for (a) boys and (b) girls; and the plans, if any, to reduce this figure.
Written Answers. - Provision of Employment.
205.
Young people have benefited generally from the improved economic situation in the past few years and the efforts of development bodies like the IDA, SFADCO, and the Údarás na Gaeltachta. Young people have benefited in particular from the expansion in public sector recruitment in the past two years. These developments have resulted in record increases in employment in 1978 and 1979. However, statistics are not readily available as to the precise numbers of young people who obtained employment in the past 12 months.
In addition to the general job creation efforts which I have described, a number of special programmes have been introduced to stimulate youth employment. I set out below the principal schemes and the number of participants in 1979. The vast majority of participants in these schemes were under 25 years of age.
|
Scheme |
Number of Participants in 1979 |
|
Environmental Improvement Scheme Programme (Department of the Environment) |
1,556* |
|
Temporary Grants Scheme for Youth Employment (Department of Education) |
1,980 |
|
Work Experience Programme (Department of Labour) |
4,968 |
|
Community Youth Training Programme (AnCO) |
2,618 |
|
Total |
11,122 |
*This figure refers to the maximum number of participants at any one time. The numbers participating through the year would of course be higher.
Regarding the number unemployed in the 16-25 age group, the most recent comprehensive information available is provided by the 1977 labour force survey which showed that approximately 28,500 males and 13,800 females in the 15-24 age group were unemployed in April of that year. The indications are, however, that the level of youth unemployment has declined since then as a result of the improvements in the employment situation outlined above. When the results of the 1979 labour force survey became available later this year, it will be possible to indicate precisely the present level of youth unemployment.
Since the beginning of this year the numbers of young people aged less than 25 years on the live register are being separately identified. This change was introduced on the recommendation of the Interdepartmental Study Group on Unemployment Statistics. The live register statement for 29 February 1980, which is the latest available, shows that 14,038 males and 6,685 females under 25 years of age were on the register on that date. It should be noted, however, that the live register is not generally regarded as a satisfactory indication of the level of youth unemployment.
My Department's survey of second level school leavers from the school enrolment year, 1977-78 which was carried out in 1979 showed that just 3.6 per cent of the 35,467 leavers from the second level system covered by the survey were unemployed at the beginning of last year.
A number of measures are planned to improve the statistics on youth employment. These include the introduction of an annual series of labour force surveys similar to the present EEC biennial labour force survey which was recommended by the Interdepartmental Study Group on Unemployment Statistics and has been approved by the Government.
The Minister for Finance in his speech in Dáil Éireann on the Second Stage of the Employment Guarantee Fund Bill, 1980, discussed the Government's job creation efforts for 1980. The significant measures here include:
—an increase of 32 per cent in the provisions for infrastructural investment in the Public Capital Programme which will provide substantial on-site employment and will also act as a powerful inducement to the growth of industrial employment in the future.
—increases in excess of the general "norm" in the allocations for the Industrial Development Authority and Córas Tráchtála whose activities contribute greatly to the development of industrial employment. A substantial number of the record number of job approvals obtained by the IDA over the last few years will be coming on stream this year and in addition the Authority hope to achieve a further 30,000 job approvals this year.
—the creation of the Employment Guarantee Fund which is being jointly financed by the Government and the employer's organisations. Projects already approved for assistance from the fund include a 1,000 job public sector programme—including environmental improvement schemes and temporary youth employment projects—and a scheme for the recruitment of 200 additional engineering apprentices to be sponsored by AnCO.
Young people will be among the principal beneficiaries of these efforts. In addition the major youth employment schemes described above will continue to operate this year.
Finally, I might add that the question of youth employment, has been under consideration by a sub-committee of the Manpower Consultative Committee and I expect a report soon.