Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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46. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the recent employment figures for Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44786/22]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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When we launched the Economic Recovery Plan last year, we set a goal of achieving 2.5 million people in employment by 2024. According to the latest available national employment figures, from the Central Statistics Office’s Labour Force Survey, employment levels reached 2.55 million in Q2 2022. We now have more people employed in our country than ever before, while the quarterly unemployment rate stands at 4.4% - levels not seen since 2005.

These results are a testament to the hard work and resilience of the Irish people and enterprise. It is especially welcome to see a strong bounce back in employment in the Accommodation and Food Service sector, with employment in this sector increasing by 40% in the past 12 months. The impact of the pandemic was not equal across sectors, and those in the Hospitality sector were significantly affected. Our strong policy interventions during the pandemic – rapidly rolling out the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme and Pandemic Unemployment Payment – appear to have minimised any long-term labour market scarring in the sector.

Much of the recent increase in employment has been driven by record levels of female labour market participation. In Q2 2021, employment levels for women reached record levels, and since then a further 108,500 women have found employment. As well as continued funding increases for early learning and childcare, interventions through Making Remote Work, our national Remote Work Strategy and Pathways to Work 2021-2025, have assisted in addressing obstacles to labour market inclusion for women.

As we approach full employment, one challenge for businesses will be recruiting talent with the right skills – this is particularly important in the context of the dual green and digital transitions. The Government continues to provide thousands of additional re-skilling and upskilling opportunities, as set out in the Economic Recovery Plan, while my Department operates an employment permit system which is highly responsive to areas of identified skills needs and labour shortages across the economy.

I recognise that these employment figures do not tell the lived experience for some, and many people are struggling and worried about the future. My Department have been making huge improvements to workers’ rights this year, including introducing mandatory sick pay, auto-enrolment for pensions, the right to request remote working to make sure work pays.