Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 62: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he intends to take to create new jobs specifically targeted at reducing the number of persons in long-term unemployment and those who have left the workforce for a period of time and now wish to return to it; his views on the rise in unemployment recently; the action he intends to take to prevent same from continuing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23493/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In the past year the number of persons in employment increased by 89,800 or 4.7%. This indicates that the Irish labour market remains extremely buoyant, with job creation far exceeding job losses. Over 500,000 jobs have been created since 1997, which is testament to the successful economic and enterprise development policies which this Government intends to continue into the future through the implementation of the Enterprise Strategy Group Action Plan. I am confident that these policies will create more jobs into the future.

There were 88,200 persons unemployed in the first quarter of 2006, as measured by the Quarterly National Household Survey, which is an unemployment rate of 4.2% among the lowest rates in the EU. While this represents an annual increase of 6,100, it is 3,100 lower than in the previous quarter. The number of long term unemployed has fallen by 1,600 in the past year to 26,200 and at 1.3% remains extremely low by international and historical standards.

However, we are not complacent about the level of long term unemployment and in order to reduce it a range of measures are being implemented. These include increasing the focus on the activation of the long term unemployed and other disadvantaged groups through the Community Employment and Job Initiative Programmes, the FÁS and Local Employment Services, and the National Employment Action Plan (NEAP) referral process.

Under the National Employment Action Plan (NEAP), FÁS offers unemployed people training, re-training, job placement and other employability measures. This referral process has been very effective in encouraging and supporting the unemployed to participate in the labour market. The extension of the referral process to other disadvantaged groups is currently under consideration.

Other innovative responses developed by my Department and FÁS to assist unemployed persons, have included:

∙the Pathways programme which identifies the most appropriate development pathway to assist clients to obtain employment

∙the High Supports Process which assists clients on a multi-agency basis to address personal barriers to employments

∙the Customised Training Fund to flexibly meet training needs of the unemployed.

We are therefore continuing to engage with those in long-term unemployment through a wide range of labour market measures and activities to help them to return to employment.