Hildegarde Naughton (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Seanad Éireann: noting that:

- 330,000 jobs were lost in this country during the tenure of the last Government;

- unemployment peaked at 15.1% prior to the effects of the present Government’s job strategy being felt;

- unemployment is on a steady downward curve; and

- jobs are being created in all sections of the economy and across every skill-set;

further noting that:

- 90,000 jobs have been created since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs in 2012 and 29,100 jobs in 2014;

- 24,000 new jobs have been created in agriculture, 23,000 in accommodation and food services and 16,500 in retail, health, construction and education;

- the unemployment rate is down to 10% from a peak of 15.1% in February, 2012;

- employment has grown in all 8 regions since the Action Plan for Jobs;

- full-time employment is increasing rapidly while, consequently, part-time employment decreases;

- as a result, GDP rose by 4.8% in 2014, making Ireland the fastest growing economy in Europe; and

- domestic demand grew in 2014 for the first time since 2007; and

agreeing that:

- the target of getting 100,000 people back to work by 2016 will be delivered this year;

and

- the Action Plan for Jobs has been an unmatched success in any Government’s history of job creation;

calls on the Government to:

- continue its concentration on employment as the most effective anti-poverty measure available;

- continue its implementation of the Action Plan for Jobs, including its regional strategy; and

- continue its drive to obtain full employment by 2018.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. As the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, said yesterday, such was the scale of the crisis we inherited that we have lost nearly a decade of economic growth and job creation. I will not dwell on the performance of the last Government in terms of job creation. The 330,000 people who lost their jobs during its tenure in office are a lasting testament to its economic incompetence. It is lost in the verbiage that some pass off as economic analysis these days that this State was very nearly out of funds four years ago, with almost no money for salaries for our teachers, doctors and nurses.

Since 2011, it has been the task of the Government to repair the economy and public finances. In doing so, the concentration was on job creation. The strong growth in employment over the last four years has been due to a multi-annual strategy and implementation mechanism to enhance the operating environment for employers, namely, the Action Plan for Jobs.

It is no coincidence that unemployment peaked just as the action plan was unveiled and began its steady decline when its effects were felt. The evidence is incontrovertible. The plan is working and it has five main objectives: to support 100,000 additional jobs by 2016; to get Ireland back up to a top five ranking in international competitiveness; to build world-class clusters in key sectors; to build an indigenous engine of growth that drives up the export market share of Irish companies; and to stimulate the domestic economy and generate employment in locally traded sectors. The ambition to create 100,000 jobs by next year will in all likelihood be achieved by this year. Further examples of the success to date of the programme are almost 90,000 more people at work since the launch of the first Action Plan for Jobs in 2012. The unemployment rate is down from 15% to 10%. In 2014, over 140,000 people left the live register to take up work. Ireland's competitiveness ranking internationally is steadily on the rise. Indigenous exports and foreign direct investment are at record levels.Exports grew in 2014, with notable increases recorded in exports to China, Japan, the US and France. Exporting firms created 15,000 net additional jobs in 2014. Each of those jobs spurs another in local trade and business. Enterprise Ireland, which works with Irish-owned exporting companies, added more than 8,000 of these new jobs, meaning Irish companies are at the heart of our recovery. The OECD has stated:

The APJ’s most striking innovation in the Irish public policy context is a co-ordination mechanism that ensures high-level political buy-in and oversight, whole-of-Government engagement and the establishment of quarterly targets underpinned by a robust monitoring system. These are important steps towards addressing long-standing gaps that undermine successful policy implementation.

The OECD rightly calls it a significant positive development and stated it “marks an important innovation in Irish governance”.

I will address one aspect of the proposed amendment to the motion, namely, JobBridge. An independent evaluation of the JobBridge scheme conducted by Indecon economic consultants in 2013 found that three in five participants secure employment after their internships. The evaluation found that 61% of interns progressed to paid employment after completing their internships. This 61% progression rate for JobBridge is one of the best in Europe, where progression rates for similar internships average at just 34%. Indecon's evaluation also found that 96% of host organisations would recommend JobBridge to another employer. Some 89% of interns stated that JobBridge had given them new skills. Interns also benefited from increased self-confidence and the opportunity to gain quality work experience and establish a network of contacts. Following discussions with the Labour Market Council, a third independent evaluation of JobBridge will be conducted later this year.

The scheme is voluntary. Nobody is forced to do it. The commentary by some of the Opposition makes it sound like indentured servitude. Approximately 97% of JobBridge inspections found that the requirements of the scheme were met. In any such programme there will always be unscrupulous people who will try to take advantage, and such practices are taken very seriously by the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton. Those found in breach of the scheme's terms and conditions are prevented from further participation.

I refer to another Sinn Féin amendment to the motion. I agree that the issue of regional development is important, and it is the reason the Government has included specific measures aimed at balanced regional development in this year’s Action Plan for Jobs. I had the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, come to the Seanad last autumn and I questioned him on the Industrial Development Authority’s failure to adhere to its own regional development targets. It is unacceptable that all concentration is on Dublin and, to a lesser extent, Cork. All Members of the House, Government and Opposition, are concerned about this issue. The message has been heard. The Government has allocated €250 million over five years for the purpose of stimulating job growth in the regions.

The Opposition will join me in welcoming today's live register figures, which show that the unemployment rate has continued to fall for the 41st consecutive month and that unemployment has dipped below 350,000 for the first time since 2009. Far too many people remain unemployed and the plan the Government has implemented has shown how it can be tackled in the years to come. If we stick to the plan, we can be confident that full employment will be achieved by 2018.