Written answers
Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Departmental Data
Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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127. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will indicate the trends in the number seeking jobseeker payments; the number who are being facilitated into pathways of training and work experience; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58934/22]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As of the week ending the 20thof November, the Live Register, which consists of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Jobseeker’s Benefit and Credits, stood at some 181,500 claimants.
There has been some variation in the Live Register in the recent period. Notably, the Live Register rose to some 180,700 jobseekers following the closure of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) end-March 2022 and the associated movement of around 20,000 of the final PUP recipients to standard jobseeker terms. There were declines in the Live Register from this point, in line with the general labour market recovery, apart from normal seasonal variation.
However, unlike in previous years, the Live Register is now inclusive of around 19,000 people who arrived under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive from Ukraine, which must be considered when comparing the current position of 181,500 Live Register claimants to the pre-pandemic level of around 177,600. The low numbers currently seen are reflective of the tight labour market, as is the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 4.4 percent in the recently released Q3, 2022 Labour Force Survey.
In respect of supports for jobseekers, the main training and work experience programme the Department operates is the Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP). The WPEP provides jobseekers with the opportunity to gain a quality work placement experience, increase their employability, and develop new skills. However, owing to the tight labour market, fewer jobseekers have availed of this support than had been expected. As of the end of October, 451 individuals have participated on the programme since it commenced in July 2021. The Department additionally provides support through the Back to Education Allowance for over 3,200 people in October 2022.
The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science provides supports to individuals to retrain and upskill. Since the launch of Pathways to Workin July 2021 until the end of September 2022, there have been nearly 21,000 people who were long-term unemployed commencing in Further and Higher Education programmes.
My Department will continue to provide assistance to all those who may need help to return to employment, education or training.
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