Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

409. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her views on whether smaller schemes are at a disadvantage to bigger urban schemes when it comes to pathways to work (details supplied). [56697/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish labour market has experienced a remarkable recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.  The latest CSO Labour Force Survey figures for Q2 2022 indicate that there are over 2.55m people in employment, while the employment rate for 15-64 year olds has risen to 73.5 percent.  Both of these figures are the highest since the series began in 1998. The monthly unemployment rate in October stood at 4.4 percent.

It is particularly welcome that all areas of the country have felt this improvement in the labour market.  For instance, the Midlands region has just over 20 percent more people in employment in Q2 2022 compared to pre-pandemic (Q2 2019), the largest increase out of any region, and considerably higher than the national average increase of 11.3 percent.

Under Pathways to Work 2021-2025, the Government’s national employment strategy, my Department provides a range of employment supports to help people access and find sustainable employment in the labour market.  Two key supports are Community Employment (CE) and Tús which enable long-term unemployed persons to make a contribution to their communities whilst upskilling themselves for prospective future employment.

The work opportunities available through CE and Tús placements are provided by community and voluntary organisations in both urban and rural areas across the country.  Participants are generally engaged in some element of service support and delivery such as amenities management, arts and culture, sports, tidy towns, childcare and health-related services.

I am pleased that under Budget 2023, from January 2023, CE and Tús participants will receive an increase in weekly payments arising from the increase in core social welfare payments of €12 per week, in addition to the increase in the weekly CE and Tús allowance of €5; bringing the minimum payment for participants to €247.50 per week.

My Department is currently undertaking a counterfactual impact evaluation of the Community Employment and Tús schemes in conjunction with the OECD and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.  This work will examine, among other things, the impact of these schemes in helping jobseekers from around the country find and sustain employment in the open labour market.  This will add to the evidence base on the effectiveness of active labour market programmes operated by my Department.