Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As set out under the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan, which was launched on June 1st 2021, a central focus of the recovery process will be on supporting people back into employment, with an overall ambition of exceeding pre-crisis employment levels by reaching 2.5 million people in work by the end of 2024.

Central to achieving this ambition will be the forthcoming national employment services strategy, ‘Pathways to Work 2021-2025’. By increasing labour market supports, and through the provision of employment support, activation and skills opportunities, the Pathways to Work strategy will act as a key delivery mechanism of the Economic Recovery Plan’s second pillar ‘Helping People Back into Work’.

Pathways to Work will outline how the Public Employment Service will utilise its existing and expanded capacity to deliver effective services in a post-COVID labour market. Measures under this new strategy will include increased capacity in the public employment service; Intreo, provision of an additional 50,000 education and training places, a new Government Youth Employment Charter and a new Work Placement Experience Programme for those out of work for at least six months.

I plan to launch the new Pathways to Work strategy in July 2021. At the same time I plan to launch the new Work Placement Experience Programme, delivering on a key commitment under Pathways to Work 2021-2025.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.