Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government’s primary strategy to tackle unemployment, including long-term unemployment and youth unemployment, is twofold. The Action Plan for Jobs supports continuing strong economic recovery and employment growth.

Policies and actions to ensure unemployed people benefit from the increase in employment are set out in the strategy paper Pathways to Work 2016-2020. These policies have been effective in reducing both youth and long-term unemployment.

Youth unemployment is generally higher than adult unemployment in all EU member states because, at any time, a large number of young people are recent leavers from education and seeking a first job. However, the most recent data show Irish youth unemployment has fallen from a peak of 31.1% in 2012 to 14.5% in December 2016. Irish youth unemployment has thus fallen from well above the EU average in 2012 to below the current EU figure of 18.8%. Over the same period, the rate of long-term unemployment has fallen from a peak of 9.5% to 4.2%. Both figures can be expected to fall further this year in line with the forecast fall in overall unemployment.

Policy continues to focus on support for the long-term unemployed and young unemployed. For example, the Pathways to Work 2016-2020 strategy prioritises long-term unemployed people. It does this most notably through the roll-out of JobPath to engage more systematically with this group, targeted wage subsidies under JobsPlus and reserved places for long-term unemployed jobseekers on employment and training programmes. Under the Youth Guarantee there is monthly engagement by case officers with unemployed young people to assist them to prepare and implement personal progression plans for employment. Where young people do not find work quickly, additional supports are offered through places on employment and training schemes. I am confident these current and planned measures will support further reductions in long-term unemployment and youth unemployment.

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