David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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121. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the work that is being undertaken by her Department to present employment opportunities for jobseekers to address labour shortages in the economy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34902/22]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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169. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the work that is being carried out by her Department to match jobseekers with employment opportunities in sectors such as hospitality and construction; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34925/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 121, 169 and 171 together.

Government's employment services strategy is set out under Pathways to Work 2021 - 2025.

This strategy sets out how my Department will deliver our public employment service through Intreo and contracted service providers. The core objective of the public employment service is to help match jobseekers with employment opportunities as the economy recovers from COVID. This strategy is working - with the unemployment rate now at pre-COVID levels - at 4.8%.

In fact, we now have record numbers of people in the labour force - the highest the State has ever recorded with over 2.5 million people at work in quarter 1, 2022.

This brings its own challenges, with a much tighter labour supply than anticipated. I am aware that some employers are now facing difficulties recruiting staff. This means that the priority of our public employment service is to work closely with employers so that they recruit from persons on the Live Register. Currently there are some 186,821 people on the Live Register.

Intreo Employment Services Officers and job coaches work with jobseekers to support them into jobs. Dedicated Employer Relations Officers work with employers to help meet their recruitment needs. Since the beginning of the year, 118 recruitment events have taken place, including 23 job fairs. These include some specific events for the hospitality and construction sectors. The Department has a dedicated team working under Government's Housing For All, Future Building Initiative to specifically recruit to construction jobs, from jobseekers in Ireland and abroad.

The Department also has a number of schemes to encourage employers to provide work experience and recruit directly from persons on the Live Register. Schemes include the Work Placement Experience Programme and JobsPlus.

My Department also provides an online jobs portal Jobsireland to enable employers to advertise their job vacancies and for jobseekers to apply for jobs. I encourage all employers with vacancies and anyone looking for work to register on this website. This is in addition to engaging with their local Intreo Office and availing of the full range of services they, along with contracted service providers, have available to assist both employers and jobseekers.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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122. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide an update on the community employment, TUS and rural social schemes and the supports that are available from her Department to help persons back to work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38525/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Department of Social Protection operates a number of employment support schemes for long term unemployed persons which also assist communities across the country in the provision of vital services.  Currently, there are some 24,000 participants engaged on the two schemes supporting long term unemployed persons back to work; Community Employment and Tús.  

CE is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.   

Tús is a community work placement initiative that provides short-term, quality work opportunities in community and voluntary sectors for those who are unemployed for more than a year. 

In addition, the rural social scheme (RSS) is an income support initiative that provides part-time employment opportunities in community and voluntary organisations for farmers or fishermen who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are underemployed in their primary occupation. There are just under 2,900 participants on RSS.  

In order to assist schemes to maintain services in the current tight labour market, Minister Humphreys and I recently announced a number of reforms to CE, Tús and RSS.  These will improve recruitment, remove the six year time limit on RSS for all participants while continuing the practice whereby CE placements can be extended until suitable replacements are available to fill vacancies.  These reforms will ensure that all RSS participants can now remain on the scheme until they reach state pension age and will improve access to employment schemes in general.   

Feedback received to date in relation to all of the reforms has been positive and it is expected that these, in addition to changes introduced earlier this year, will have a positive impact at individual scheme level over the coming months.  

In addition to these employment supports for long term unemployed, Government is supporting a range of initiatives to assist people back to work; as outlined under the Economic Recovery Plan and  national employment services strategy, ‘Pathways to Work 2021-2025’.  With the rate of unemployment now at just under 5% - these initiatives are working well.  

Initiatives to support unemployed people back to work include an expanded JobsPlus recruitment subsidy scheme, an additional 50,000 education and training places, and the new Work Placement Experience Programme.  My department has a team of Intreo Case Officers and Job Coaches nationwide providing a one-to-one career advice service and tailored employment supports to jobseekers.  

In conclusion, my department is fully committed to the future of employment support programmes and will continue to support and improve programmes for the benefit of long term unemployed participants and given the valuable contribution being made to local communities through the provision of services.  I am also confident that the implementation of the national and local policy measures and responses outlined above will assist the full range of jobseekers find a pathway back to employment. 

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.