Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

65. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the difference in the percentage of persons claiming payment under the jobseeker's allowance scheme between May 2012 and May 2016 for counties Sligo and Leitrim; the increase in the number of persons participating in the back to education allowance scheme during this period; the number of persons from these two counties who classify as long-term unemployed; the further measures he will introduce to help the long-term unemployed get back to work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11653/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the relevant data for May will not be available until the end of the month, the tables below show the percentage change in the number of persons claiming payment under the Jobseeker's Allowance Scheme between April 2012 and April 2016, for County Sligo and County Leitrim; the change in the number of persons participating in the Back to Education Allowance Scheme during this period; the number of persons from these two counties who classify as long-term unemployed.

Live Register figures for JA, Leitrim and Sligo Absolute and percentage change April 2012–April 2016

Back to Education figures for JA Leitrim and Sligo

Absolute and percentage change April 2012–April 2016

Long Term Unemployed figures for JA, Leitrim and Sligo

Absolute and percentage change April 2012–April 2016

NB: Figures provided for April as full May figures not yet available

The Government’s primary strategy to tackle long-term unemployment is through policies to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity.

Reflecting the impact of government policy, and the overall improvement in the labour market, the long-term unemployment rate peaked at 9.5% in Q1 2012 before falling to 4.7% in Q4 2015. At the latter date, the long-term unemployed accounted for 54.5% of all those unemployed, down from almost 61% in early 2012.

Although the labour market situation is improving considerably as the recovery continues, the Government recognises the importance of a continued focus on measures to facilitate the long-term unemployed back into work. This is the rationale behind the Government’s Pathways to Work2016-2020 strategy (published January 2016).

A range of measures were introduced under previous Pathways to Workstrategies for the long-term unemployed. This included a structured process of engagement with long-term unemployed people being referred to the activation process (Group Engagement followed by regular one-to-one case officer contact); wage subsidies in JobsPlus; the roll-out of a payment-by-results contracted employment services in JobPath, to provide additional capacity in order to engage more systematically with long-term unemployed jobseekers; and reserved places for the long-term unemployed on a range of Further Education and Training (FET) and public employment programmes. A core focus of Pathways to Work2016-2020 is on consolidating and improving the quality and consistency of reforms undertaken in previous strategies, with continued prioritisation of those long-term unemployed. I am satisfied these measures will help to address long-term unemployment.