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

I thank the Acting Chairman and the Deputy. Internationally and in Ireland, research consistently indicates that the provision of a personal advisory case management service to unemployed jobseekers is an effective method of supporting jobseekers to secure and sustain employment. JobPath is simply a mechanism through which this support is provided. It provides long term unemployed jobseekers with access to an employment assistance and advice service for a period of 12 months. It is a payment by results model with day-to-day operational costs and risks borne by the contractors. They are paid on the basis of performance and, with the exception of the initial registration fee, payments are made only when a client achieves sustained, full-time employment.

Job sustainment fees are payable for each 13-week period of sustained employment, up to a maximum of 52 weeks. The total cost of the JobPath service from 2015 to the end of October this year is €247.9 million. Given the total number of engagements to date is almost 284,000, the cost per client is €873. Delivering 12 months of employment service engagement, which requires meeting every client once every 20 working days, at this cost provides value for money and compares favourably with other contracted public employment services.

To date more than 168,000 individuals had completed at least one full engagement with JobPath. In excess of 64,000 jobseekers who had engaged with JobPath had secured employment. In 2019, my Department published a review, in partnership with the OECD, measuring JobPath's effectiveness. Findings indicated that weekly earnings of people who secured employment after JobPath engagement were 17% higher than the weekly employment earnings of people who secured employment without the support of JobPath in 2018.

Taken with the 26% improvement in employment outcomes or the likelihood of a person getting a job in the same period, it means the overall positive impact was 37% in 2018 for those supported by the JobPath service.

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