Ms Bríd O'Brien:

I thank the committee for the invitation to appear before it today to discuss the issue of jobless households. Like the previous two speakers, the INOU views jobless households as consisting of young and older people who are long-term unemployed. The issue of long-term unemployment among older people is one often raised with the INOU. Many people in this category have a disability, are parenting alone or are working in piecemeal, part-time or low work intensity jobs. In terms of the many issues facing these people, access to adequate income is a critical one. A variety of research has highlighted the importance of social transfers in addressing the poverty that many households experiencing joblessness face. Another critical issue is reliance on public services, including community services. In rural areas, lack of transport is a critical issue. Accurate and timely information on jobs and supports provided through the social system is also critical, as illustrated in some of the points made earlier by Dr. Rigney. A lack of access to sustainable and decent employment is another issue. This is particularly striking in areas outside of urban areas. This point was made to us by affiliates living in rural areas in the context of our preparation of this submission. Outside of certain sectors there is a lack of decent employment. Another issue is that of mismatch, in that many people do not have the skill-sets or experience required for particular jobs. Also, the cost of participation is particularly high, especially for people with disabilities and those with caring responsibilities. There is a need for a strong commitment to meeting the social targets set by the State.

In terms of adequate income, social protection is critical to many households struggling with the issue of joblessness. Accurate and timely information, particularly for those moving from social payments to employment and vice versa, when employment comes to a natural end or does not work out, is a critical issue and an area in which great improvement is needed. An issue that many unemployed people and many of our affiliates have raised with us is the need for constructive and respectful engagement so that people do not have to seek information and are treated in a manner that will facilitate them in making the journey from welfare to work. In terms of the recession, the perception of people who are without work and how these issues are discussed in the public arena can have particularly negative implications for people and can impact on them and their daily lives. As stated by previous speakers, for many people work is not always, unfortunately, a route out of poverty because much of that work is only part time or piecemeal. A recent example is that of a gentleman from a small rural town in a particular county who found work in a larger town in the next county but for whom the cost of getting to work was prohibitive, particularly because of the hours offered to him. That is a huge issue.

The quality of work is critical. The cycle of welfare and low pay and the precarious nature of much of the available work is a particular issue for those living in households struggling with the issue of joblessness.

Alongside this, we have an increasingly flexible and piecemeal labour market and a social welfare system that increasingly insists on people making a choice either to be on welfare or to work when, in fact, they need the supports necessary to manage the two. We would love to see everyone having full-time, decent work. We are conscious that for many of those who are long-term unemployed, have a disability, are parenting alone or caring for other relatives accessing full-time work, if it was available, would be an issue, but that should be the goal we set for ourselves.

Persons who are living in jobless households tend to live in poorer communities, where people are reliant on public services or local community organisations. The recession has had a huge impact on the provision of many services, particularly by community organisations. Intreo and Pathways to Work are not open to everybody of working age but only to those in receipt of a jobseeker's payment. This throws up issues for persons who are unemployed and not in receipt of a payment, for those who are parenting alone and for people in receipt of a disability payment.

There are strong links between housing tenure and joblessness. The housing crisis also impacts on jobless households. If one lives in an area in which there is little or no work available and is aware of an area in which there is work on offer, one may not be able to move because one would be moving from a secure to a very insecure housing tenure. The lack of affordable transport presents particular issues for those living in rural areas and those with a disability.

In terms of what we would like to see in increasing access to employment for people living in jobless households, there is a need for supports for them to re-skill and re-educate, as there are strong links between educational and employment status.

One issue that was brought to our attention by affiliates working in the local employment service was that the mediator fund which had been part of the service since its foundation was no longer as flexible as it had been and that there was an increasing focus on participants making a contribution. The local employment service had always asked people to do this, but it had always ensured it took place in a way they could afford. They are concerned that the rules that have been introduced will make accessing some of the supports very difficult for households with little or no income. The public employment service which is to be rolled out by the State through Intreo needs to be open to everybody of working age. Joblessness is closely linked with the issues of exclusion and discrimination in the labour market. Even at the height of the era of full employment, there were geographical communities, communities of interest and ethnic communities in which the level of unemployment remained very high. I refer to particular urban and rural areas in which there are issues of class, people are struggling with issues of disability and groups such as the Traveller community which experience huge exclusion within the labour market. The issue of employment outside large urban areas must be addressed. Attention must be given to overcoming barriers to participation such as child care costs and accessible transport, smoothing the path from welfare to work and the need to work with employers to ensure they will give serious consideration to employing people on the live register, people with a disability and others living in jobless households.

In terms of social targets, if we are serious about having a more equitable and inclusive society, we need integrated policies. We must ensure policies right across government are assessed from a social inequality perspective, that social inclusion, equality and human rights principles are built into policy design, roll-out and delivery and subsequent monitoring and evaluation. Within the revision of the national poverty target set in 2012, there was a sub-target to reduce the level of poverty facing jobless households. To meet these targets, we need policies that are integrated and serious about addressing social exclusion and discrimination. We had jobless households at the height of the Celtic tiger. However, the levels have increased as a result of the very serious job losses we experienced, but if we do not get to the heart of the structural issues underpinning them, we will leave many people behind when the economy starts to take off.