Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have no wish for us to be in a situation where we have to wait until we have full employment again before women returners become a major priority for the Government. Many women did the State a service by caring for their families and loved ones. Often they did so because the supports that would have enabled choice simply were not there. I know this because I did it myself. Workplace inflexibility, a lack of accessible and affordable childcare and the unpaid nature of care continue to be key factors. We have a real issue because of women dropping out of the workforce to undertake care duties, but we have a similar problem in getting them back to work even when their children are older and even though these women are more likely to have third level qualifications. The participation rate of women is 63.7%. That is not too far behind the EU average of 64.2% but it falls far below competitive economies like Germany, which has a rate of over 72% and a figure of more than 10% between men and women participation rates.

Covid-19 has set us back again and we have been disproportionately affected. We are more likely to work in jobs where workers are more vulnerable to getting Covid. We are more likely to work in jobs where staff are vulnerable to losing employment because of Covid. Women are more likely to own businesses that have been impacted upon and are more likely to have taken leave or to have worked longer hours in trying to juggle work, home schooling and care duties. Women who spent more time in unpaid or domestic duties prior to Covid became the brunt bearers during the Covid lockdown.

The roles played by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Social Protection have been phenomenal in getting people through the crisis with access to the pandemic unemployment payment, wage subsidies and grant schemes.

As we emerge from the crisis of Covid into addressing the long-term effects of Covid on labour participation rates, are we going to do enough to address the female labour participation gap? This is relevant not only for those who lost their jobs because of Covid or those still vulnerable to losing their jobs if the recession sticks, but for those who previously took career breaks and may now be further down the pecking order when it comes to labour activation policies.

I welcome the Minister of State commenting on the matter today. I know that work is ongoing with Springboard opportunities. Over 10,000 places are available on nearly 300 courses for unemployed, self-employed or returners to work. ICT graduate conversion courses are on offer for upskilling and reskilling in important new areas like cybersecurity and climate sustainability. In 2019, the then Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Senator Doherty, announced a new returnship programme. In the programme for Government, it is acknowledged that there is a commitment to returnships through new education, training and personal development programmes. This is especially important to the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science as part of the Her STEM skills programme. Yet, there seem to be disadvantages for women who have not worked for more than two years and who were not claiming social welfare during that period.They cannot access community schemes that might suit them. A woman from Donegal got in touch with me to say that she has experienced this herself. She completed a two-year FETAC level 5 course in childcare in 2019 and got a distinction in all the modules except one, in which she got a merit. It was a massive achievement for her, having been out of work looking after her own kids. There were many opportunities to apply for part-time roles that would have been ideal for her but she could not because she was not eligible for any schemes. The Minister of State might have some advice for her. People in my community and in organisations that benefit from community schemes want access to women like her and she wants access to them as well. The hours suit, the locations suit and the situation suits. I ask the Minister of State for an update on how this will factor into the Pathways to Work 2021-2025 strategy.