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

The reduction applied to jobseekers who do not engage with the Department of Social Protection's range of supports to get back to employment will increase to €90 from January 2025. The current rate of €44 has been in existence since 2011. Senator Higgins must acknowledge that the social welfare rates have gone up considerably since then.

The aim is to prevent unemployed people drifting further from the labour market and losing the skills that enable earnings progression. We know that the way out of poverty is to get employment. The payment will be immediately restored as soon as the person re-engages.

Recently, the labour market has been performing at historic levels, with full employment, and a number of records have been achieved over successive quarters. We hear every day about people who cannot get staff. In light of the conditions and the labour market outlook, it is important that individuals are supported and encouraged in their efforts to seek employment. That is what we are about here. We want to help people to find suitable employment. All they have to do is engage with the Department of Social Protection and Intreo employment services. There is a range of supports to help people get back to work, whether it is further education, training, upskilling or work placements. That is in addition to programmes such as community employment and Tús. A lot of supports are available to help people get employment. The payment will be immediately restored as soon as the person re-engages.

The review of JobPath found that people supported by it secured employment for longer and had more earnings than people not supported by the scheme.