Written answers

Wednesday, 3 February 2016

Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Action Plan for Jobs

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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41. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his targets to reduce long-term unemployment in terms of specific numbers and percentages in each of the years 2016 to 2020; and the measure that will be taken to achieve this. [4530/16]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The goal of this Government has been to replace all of the jobs lost during the economic crisis and deliver sustainable full employment by the end of 2018. This whole of Government effort has been integrated into the Action Plan for Jobs process which aims to strengthen the enterprise base, support entrepreneurship and start-ups, regain Ireland’s lost competitiveness and ensure the potential of the regions for development and job creation through Action Plan for Jobs-Regional is fully realised, supported by competitive regional funds.

The Action Plan for Jobs complements the Government’s new Pathways to Work which sets out actions to be taken in support of those that are currently unemployed in order to help them access the labour market and new job opportunities.

The Government’s strategy is working. Since the first Action Plan for Jobs was launched in Q1 2012, 135,800 more people are at work. Action Plan for Jobs 2016, the fifth Plan, was launched in mid-January and marks the transition from an economy recovering from the most severe recession to a competitive, innovative, highly productive economy providing sustainable full employment for its people. It also marks the transition to the implementation of key Government policies that plan for medium term growth. Enterprise 2025 is our ten year jobs and enterprise strategy, which sets out the roadmap to build a sustainable economy and have 2.18 million people at work by 2020, the highest in the history of the State.

Enterprise 2025was launched in November 2015. It sets out the potential to reach 2.180 million in employment and an overall unemployment rate of 6 percent by 2020. Enterprise 2025envisages an additional 266,000 people in employment by 2020 starting from a 2014 baseline. Achieving this ambition is based on the premise of export led growth and the additional indirect jobs stimulated by the activities of exporting enterprises in the wider economy. Annualised targets have not been set out in the strategy for job creation or specifically for reducing long-term unemployment.

The ambition is predicated on taking the actions set out in Enterprise 2025 which are focused on supporting the productive sector, enhancing our relative competitiveness, leveraging existing comparative advantage in key sectors, addressing structural issues in the economy, improving productivity and the capacity of enterprises to innovate. Enterprise 2025is complemented by the Pathways to Work (PtW) strategy 2016-2020 that that reflects a shift in focus from ‘activation in a time of recession’ to ‘activation in a time of recovery and growth’. PtW involves maintaining a priority focus on addressing the young and long term unemployed and also aims to increase labour market participation and employment progression of people who are not currently active in the labour market.

In addition, the Action Plan for Jobs sets out a more detailed annualised programme of action aimed at achieving the 2020 ambition and is subject to ongoing monitoring in term of delivery of actions and resulting impact.

Regional Action Plans for each of the eight regions in Ireland have been developed through a collaborative process, and launched over recent months. They aim to realise employment growth throughout the country, leveraging the assets and potential of each and every region in Ireland.

Through coordinated action across Government and strong alignment across relevant strategies we have ensured a commitment and strong focus on job creation, on reducing unemployment and on realising our ambition for sustainable growth over the coming decade.

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