Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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150. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of private companies assisting his Department in job searches; his views on whether these companies are providing value for money; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18909/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The State’s Public Employment Service is managed by my Department and delivered directly by its own Intreo service as well as by contracted private companies, such as JobPath, Local Employment Service (LES) and Job Club providers.

The department currently has contracts in place with in excess of 60 companies for the provision of these services, comprising 44 Job Club, 22 Local Employment Service and two JobPath providers.

The JobPath contract model operates under a payment by results model, i.e. contractors are only paid when they achieve sustained employment outcomes for jobseekers. The LES and Job Club contracts are paid by inputs i.e. they are paid an amount that is agreed at the beginning of a contract term based on forecasted activity levels.

As the Deputy may be aware, the contracts for the provision of LES and Job Club services may be awarded for a period of up to twelve months and accordingly, all contracts are reviewed on an on-going and annual basis.

My department is committed to the further development of these services and in late 2016 Indecon were asked to undertake a review of the services being provided and this report is due for completion in Q2 of 2017.

In the case of JobPath, my department publishes a quarterly performance report. The report published in January of this year detailed the results of an independent customer satisfaction survey which indicates that jobseekers feel that they are receiving a good service and that JobPath has improved their chances of securing employment. Between 76% and 81% of customers were satisfied with the service provided and only between 5% and 8% expressed dissatisfaction. Over 90% of customers reported that JobPath staff made them feel valued and that they have a good relationship with their JobPath adviser. They also felt that the service had improved their chances of getting a job.

While the analysis of employment outcomes for participants showed that they have a higher chance of securing and remaining in a job than participants with a similar duration of unemployment. Given that only a small number of people have completed their full engagement with the JobPath service these results can only be treated as indicative, nevertheless they are very encouraging. Should the Deputy wish to consider the matter in more detail, the report is available on the department’s website.

The department will be publishing similar JobPath performance reports for each quarter with the next such report to be published on the department’s website in the coming weeks. In addition, the Department is also planning for an econometric review of the JobPath service, which will commence later this year when participant numbers will have reached a level to support a robust review.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.