Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The stability programme update was published last week. It contained scary figures on employment for this year and next year. Unemployment is projected at over 16% this year, falling to over 8% in 2022. Young people have been especially hard-hit by this pandemic. They have been hard-hit in their education and work prospects as well as rents and the prices of homes and into the near future I predict evictions. Young people are over-represented in insecure and low-paid employment, despite a high level of education, skill and enthusiasm for the future. The pandemic has delayed a generation of talented youth from entering into and engaging fully with the workforce. This will have a massive knock-on effect on future earnings and progression. Nearly 60% of young people aged 15 to 24 are out of work with young women even worse affected.

This is becoming no country for young people. We need a new deal for a new generation. I feel strongly on this; I have raised it previously at Leaders Questions and I will keep doing so. There must be comprehensive Government action to avoid a scarred generation. We need to know what the plan is. We have heard talk about solidarity taxes being floated. The Taoiseach might share his views on that. We have also heard talk of reopening, with many closed sectors of the economy potentially starting again but what level of restart grants will be provided for those retail, hospitality and other services, such as hairdressers, that have been closed? As part of a national recovery and resilience plan due to be published next month, we really want to know what investment is planned to ensure high quality future employment prospects for our youth. What sort of reachback will we put in place to ensure our youth are protected and to ensure that we can catch up in the coming year and give them prospects in this country?

See this speech in context