Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 4 October 2016

Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Forecasts for Budget 2017: Department of Finance

11:00 am

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Let me refer again to the labour market. With regard to the statistics, which obviously represent significant improvements on the earlier years, does the Department have sub-data or sub-analysis that would indicate the proportion of jobless households? In this regard, Ireland is quite an outlier by comparison with the rest of Europe. Has the underlying figure begun to improve? Could the delegation give us the figure or send it to us in a note?

My second point is on the composition of inward migration flows. I assume an element comprises returning emigrants. What are the countries from which there is a significant migrant flow? From my constituency, I know there seems to be a very significant flow of Romanians at present. They are all becoming employed and doing very well. I do not know whether the flow of eastern Europeans has resumed. I refer to Poles and people from the Baltic states. Has Mr. McCarthy underlying figures on this?

There are two problem areas in the Irish labour market, the first of which concerns people under 26. What is the pick-up in this regard? The delegation partly addressed that in response to the question by Deputy Lisa Chambers. Is it that people with qualifications, such as degrees, are doing better, or is the pick-up also extending to people regarded as unskilled?

There is a very significant problem growing in the Irish labour market concerning people over 50. Mr. McCarthy was talking about the five big companies being so responsible. I challenge people to find anybody other than the staff at senior management level in any of those companies who is much over 30. Does the delegation have statistics on people over 50 and 55? Is their unemployment situation more difficult because of unspoken bias by employers against middle-aged workers or, as with many of the companies the delegation referred to, those who are classified as older? Could Mr. McCarthy explain chart 32, which shows the changes in real disposable income? I could not quite catch what was said.

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