Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Regarding public employment services, the contracts for JobPath provided for a two-phase approach that entailed client referrals for a number of years followed immediately by a run-off period of two years to facilitate existing clients to complete their engagement with the service. The extension provision in JobPath contracts was agreed and activated in August 2019 with the result that phase 1 of the contract was extended until the end of 2020. In the context of Covid and related restrictions, in order to ensure the continuing provision of public employment services during the pandemic, the Department extended the contracts for new referrals in 2021 with the final referrals to the JobPath service ceasing on 30 June 2022. Phase 2 commenced on 1 July 2022 and is scheduled to be completed by June 2024. No new clients will be referred to the service during this period. The purpose of the run-off period is to ensure that clients will receive the same service and support, including employment advice and other supports to address barriers to employment, education and training interventions and employment support. Approximately 32,106 clients are engaged with JobPath. A new contract went out so we have a very extensive suite of employment services across the country. That process is finished and is well bedded in.

Employment services must be in place because you never know when you need to ramp them up and provide people with support be it guidance or helping them to get into another job. That support is there and is ready to go if needed but it is important that it is kept there. We have been very fortunate. We thought we would need a lot more post pandemic but the economy bounced back very quickly and we know where we are in terms of a tight labour market. It is important that the service is available to people so that if they lose their jobs, and we heard of potential job losses this morning at another big digital company, we can step in and provide them with the support they need to look for other jobs.