Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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34. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on the high rate of youth unemployment, which currently stands at 19.2 per cent; the impact of the measures she has introduced to address this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1193/16]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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OECD data indicate that the rate of youth unemployment in a country is typically about twice that of the overall level of unemployment. This international ‘norm’ held true for Ireland before the recession, during the recession and again during the recovery period since 2012. Youth unemployment rate rose relatively rapidly in the recession, from 9% on average in 2007 to over 30% in 2012. It has now fallen substantially in line with the overall recovery, to 19.2% by December 2015.

The Government’s primary strategy to tackle youth unemployment is to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth and the availability of productive employment for young people. The fall in youth unemployment to date indicates that this strategy is working.

The Government recognises that as the recovery takes hold, there is a need for additional measures to ensure that as many as possible of the jobs created are taken up by jobseekers and young jobseekers in particular. This is the rationale behind the Government’s Pathways to Work strategy and the Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan.

Within this framework, the Youth Guarantee sets a medium-term objective of ensuring that young people receive an offer of employment within four months of becoming unemployed. The main plank of the guarantee is assistance to young people in finding and securing sustainable jobs. In 2015 monthly engagement by case officers with the young unemployed was implemented. For those who do not find employment, additional offers are provided for. Most such offers (over 70%) are in further education or training. Others are in community-based employment programmes such as CE, Gateway and Tus, or through the JobsPlus employment subsidy for private employment.

The Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan provided for over 28,000 programme opportunities for unemployed young people in 2014 and the same in 2015. This figure excludes some 24,000 places provided for young people through PLC courses and apprenticeships. These PLC and apprenticeship places, together with the wide range of vocational third-level courses provided for the young, although not reserved for unemployed jobseekers, nevertheless contribute to the spirit of the guarantee.