Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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44. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of young persons classified as not in education, training or employment; the percentage of youth unemployment; the way this number compares with the European Union area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45667/15]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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57. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of young persons categorised as not in education, training or employment; the percentage of youth unemployment; the way this number compares with the European Union area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45934/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 57 together.

Trends in the data on young persons not in education, training or employment indicate that there was a significant worsening in labour market conditions for young people between 2007 and 2010, and that there has subsequently been a substantial improvement that began in 2012. The post-2012 period has seen improvement both in absolute terms and relative to the EU average. Early indications are that this improvement – both absolute and relative to the EU – is continuing in 2015 and will continue in 2016.

The data requested, as published by EUROSTAT, are set out in tabular form for recent years for Ireland and for the EU overall. In all cases, the data are expressed as a percentage of the population aged 15-24, and are averages of the four quarters in the relevant year.

The proportion of young people aged 15-24 who are NEET rose from just under 11% in 2007 (close to the then EU average) to over 19% in 2010 (some 6.4 percentage points above the EU average in that year. The proportion NEET has been falling since 2012, reaching 15.2% in 2014; this was 2.7 percentage points above the EU average for 2014.

The overall NEET figure includes some, but not all of the young unemployed (some of whom may be engaged in education or training). As shown in the table, the group who are both NEET and unemployed represented approximately 4% of the young adult population in 2007, 10% in 2010-2012, and 7% in 2014. This figure, again, rose from below the EU level in 2007 to well above the EU average in 2010, but had fallen back towards the EU average in 2014.

The NEET figure also includes a number of inactive groups (i.e. persons who are not seeking work) – primarily full-time students on short breaks from education, people with caring responsibilities, and people with disabilities. Some of these young people, while not currently seeking work, indicate that they would nevertheless like to work. As shown in the table, this group has averaged between 1.2% and 2.1% of the young adult population in recent years – generally somewhat below the EU average.

Taking together the unemployed and inactive people who would like to work, the share of the young adult population accounted for by people who are NEET and are either seeking or would like to work rose from 5.5% in 2007 (when the EU average was 7.5%) to 12.3% in 2010 (EU average 9.2%) and had fallen back to 8.8% in 2014 as compared with the EU average of 9.1% in that year.

The trend in the NEET data and in the data for the sub-groups identified in the table reflects the significant worsening in labour market conditions for young people between 2007 and 2010, and the subsequent improvement in the situation that began in 2012.