Mary White (Fianna Fail)

On behalf of my colleagues on both sides of the House, I compliment and congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Kelleher, on his first formal presentation to Seanad Éireann. The young people in the Visitors Gallery should be aware that it is the first time this young Deputy from Cork has sat in this Chamber as Minister of State. He only recently received this honour, which is the aspiration of all who enter the Houses of the Oireachtas.

I compliment Senator Phelan on his measured response to the Minister of State's speech. My experience in the last five years is that the Senator always sees the positive in initiatives while also putting forward his own thoughts. He does not knock for the sake of knocking. I always listened with pleasure to his responses, as spokesman on finance in the last parliamentary term, to the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen.

We are all aware that the labour market is changing at an increasingly fast pace due to globalisation and various demographic factors. For companies to compete and remain competitive, and for workers to thrive and retain jobs, they must be open to change. We all know change can be difficult for everyone but it is also a challenge and opportunity. Employers and employees must become adaptable and respond in a positive manner.

I looked up the word "flexicurity", and the múinteoir and young people in the Gallery should know this debate, in essence, relates to that concept. It means having flexibility and security, as it relates to employment. For example, a job may not be rigidly from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Monday to Friday. I will return to this later. The word is not in the dictionary.

The aim of flexicurity is to create an environment conducive to the creation of more jobs while at the same time promoting the active inclusion of all people in the labour market by helping individuals adapt and to take advantage of new opportunities. At the EU level, the concept of flexicurity has been the catalyst for lively discussions on the need for Europe to respond to the challenges and opportunities of globalisation. Arising from discussions, it was agreed and accepted by member states that there could not be a one size fits all approach to flexicurity. Each of the 27 member states in the EU could have a particular and suitable flexicurity system.

I would define flexicurity as having three main components. First, there should be flexible and reliable contractual arrangements, from the perspective of both the employer and employee. Second, as the Minister of State has indicated, there should also be comprehensive lifelong learning strategies to ensure the continuous adaptability and employability of workers. Third, there should be effective and active labour market policies which help people cope with rapid change, reduce unemployment spells and ease transitions to new jobs.

The Minister referred to my policy document. It is a document with which Senators John Paul Phelan and Quinn will be familiar. I will send a copy to Senator Alex White.