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

As the Deputy will be aware, referrals to the JobPath service have now ceased and the service is in a run-off phase, with only clients referred up to June 2022 remaining engaged with the service. Research into JobPath, including by the OECD, indicates that the programme led to positive employment and earnings outcomes across a variety of hard-to-reach groups.

As part of a restructuring of employment services, my Department has increased its employment service capacity delivered through Intreo and has expanded employment services in some areas of the State where there were no local employment services with the introduction of the new Intreo partners model - the Intreo partners local area employment service and the Intreo partners national employment service. Continuous stakeholder engagement with both local and national service providers has been key to both the development and successful implementation of this new employment services delivery model.

A distinctive client journey has been embedded into the employment services process whereby jobseekers on the live register, after engaging with Intreo in the first 12 months, are referred first to the Intreo partners national employment service, and after 24 months to the Intreo partners local area employment service, which is designed to engage with those with greater barriers to the labour market. In this way, the client is referred to the most appropriate service at each point in time on their client journey.

Employment is now at among the highest levels in the history of the State, with over 2.55 million people in employment. Notwithstanding this, my Department keeps all employment services and supports under review so they continue to meet the needs of our clients. A mid-term review of the actions and commitments in the Pathways to Work strategy is under way at present to ensure they remain relevant and effective in improving the employment prospects and outcomes for people under-represented in the labour market. A public consultation is ongoing with a closing date of this Friday, 31 March. I hope this answers the matter for the Deputy.

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