Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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239. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost in a full calendar year of a proposal (details supplied). [40127/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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It is not possible for my Department to provide an estimate for the abolition of employer’s PRSI for new employees on the basis outlined by the Deputy, because of the difficulty in projecting the nature and duration of new jobs taken up by younger jobseekers.

My department does, however, already provide financial support to businesses engaging additional employees through the JobsPlus scheme. JobsPlus is an employer incentive, which offers a financial support to employers who offer employment opportunities to people who are unemployed.

JobsPlus is available to all employers in the private (including commercial semi-state), community, not-for-profit and voluntary sectors and is available to employers who offer any full-time work of over 30 hours per week and spanning at least a 4 day week. There is no limit on the number of new recruits per employer.

JobsPlus was introduced in July 2013 as one of a series of measures contained in the Action Plan for Jobs to replace two existing schemes; the revenue job assist and the employer job (PRSI) exemption schemes. The scheme offers differentiated levels of subsidies to employers to encourage them to focus recruitment on jobseekers who are longer term unemployed.

For jobseekers who are over 24 months out of the labour market, a subsidy of €10,000 is paid monthly to the employer over two years. A subsidy of €7,500 paid monthly over two years is available to employers who recruit a jobseeker who is between 12 and 24 months unemployed. In 2015, eligibility was broadened to include young jobseekers (under 25 year olds) unemployed for four months or more in the previous 6 months and jobseekers transitioning from a one parent family payment. A subsidy of €7,500 is payable in both instances.