Pathways to Work Strategy 2021 - 2025

View the Pathways to Work 2021-2025: Mid Term Review and updated strategy

The Labour Market Advisory Council is an independent group of industry leaders and labour market experts appointed by the Minister for Social Protection to provide advice to the Minister and the government on the efficient operation of the labour market. The council play a key role on the progress to date on the government’s Pathways to Work strategy and is tasked with producing an annual report examining the progress made in implementing the strategy each year.

In line with a commitment in Pathways, the council undertook a formal Mid-Term Review of the Strategy (incorporating the Second Annual Progress Report) in 2023, which was informed by an analysis of labour market trends, a public consultation process and engagement with relevant government departments and agencies.

The Mid-Term Review recognises that as the labour market situation has changed considerably since the original strategy was published in July 2021, the measures needed to address current and medium-term labour market challenges are now different.

On foot of the review, an updated strategy of commitments and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to be delivered to end 2025 has been published, reflecting the advice and recommendations of the council. New and revised commitments and KPIs have been included in the updated strategy to address existing and medium to longer term economic challenges such as labour and skills shortages, the green and digital transitions and the need to increase participation rates for disadvantaged groups. In addition, new outcome KPIs include ambitious targets to increase the employment rate for groups under-represented in the labour market (people with disabilities, lone parents and Travellers) and in relation to moving people who are long-term unemployed into sustainable employment.

The Labour Market Advisory Council is tasked with submitting an annual progress report on Pathways to Work 2021–2025 to the Minister for Social Protection. The Third Annual Progress Report covering the period July 2023 to June 2024 can be found below. Read the press release here.

The Labour Market Advisory Councilis tasked with submitting an annual progress report on Pathways to Work 2021–2025 to the Minister for Social Protection. The first annual progress report covering the period July 2021 to June 2022 can be found here.

1. Working for Jobseekers

Helping jobseekers prepare for and find employment as quickly as possible.

2. Working for Employers

Making it easy for employers to recruit workers and to encourage recruitment of unemployed jobseekers, including young people.

3. Working for Work

Ensuring that the welfare system supports and makes it easy for people to make the move into employment.

4. Working for All - Leaving No one Behind

Extending targeted employment supports to groups facing additional challenges accessing work such as people with disabilities, lone parents and minority groups, including Travellers.

5. Working with Evidence

Delivering services and supports that are shown to work.

Arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, Ireland has experienced a labour market shock like no other. Against the backdrop to this challenge, Pathways to Work 2021-2025 sets out its ambition to return unemployment to or below its pre-pandemic levels of 2019, through the delivery of 83 commitments under five Strands of Action.

Learn more. (PDF, from page 8)

The introduction presents an overview of the context in which Pathways to Work 2021-2025 is set and the role of the Public Employment Service Intreo. It also looks at the challenges faced by Intreo and its partners in the period ahead. In response to these challenges, Pathways to Work sets out five Strands of Action, underpinned by 83 commitments and 19 key performance indicators.

The Labour Market Advisory Council will play an important role in the monitoring of the Pathways to Work strategy, particularly by supporting the mid-term review in 2023.

Learn more. (PDF, from page 15)

Helping jobseekers prepare for and find employment as quickly as possible.

Stated simply, the goal or mission of Intreo, or any Public Employment Service, is to help people who are unemployed to find and keep employment. It does this by working with jobseekers and employers.

Intreo works with a wide range of partners, including the Further Education and Training sector. Intreo must now adapt and respond with capacity and scale by increasing Case Officer and programme capacity. It will also:

• further utilise online and digital platforms for service delivery
• deliver a more personalised service
• invest further in staff
• promote and encourage use of the service
• ensure a seamless referral to work and skills training.

Learn more. (PDF, from page 31)

Making it easy for employers to hire workers and encourage recruitment towards unemployed jobseekers, including young people.

The success of any Pathways to Work strategy is dependent on two elements:

• the State, through Intreo, providing the Pathway, and
• employers providing the Work.

The effectiveness of commitments in this strategy depends on the ability and willingness of employers to offer employment both generally but, in particular, to unemployed persons. Therefore, through Pathways to Work 2021-2025, Intreo is strengthening its engagement with employers and supporting them to recruit unemployed jobseekers.

Learn more. (PDF, from page 53)

Ensuring that the welfare system supports and makes it easy for people to make the move into employment.

Under Pathways to Work 2021-2025, Government is committing to improving the welfare system so that it supports work as best as possible.

Learn more. (PDF, from page 59)

Extending targeted employment supports to groups facing additional challenges such as people with disabilities, lone parents and minority groups, including Travellers.

Pathways to Work 2021-2025, while responding to the challenges presented by COVID-19, also seeks to promote better job opportunity outcomes for all.

This will be achieved through measures designed for those from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds and other persons facing barriers to work, including lone parents, people with disabilities, older workers and returners, young persons and members of the Traveller and Roma communities.

Learn more. (PDF, from page 63)

Delivering services and supports that are shown to work.

Ensuring that Pathways to Work 2021-2025 is implemented effectively requires its approach to be informed by evidence and that there is a strong monitoring and reporting framework in place in order to identify and address any issues with delivery.

Therefore, through this strategy, the department commits to evaluating active labour market programmes to inform policy and to undertake regular reporting and monitoring of the strategy’s implementation. This will be achieved with annual reports and a mid-term review in 2023, supported by the Labour Market Advisory Council.

Learn more. (PDF, from page 81)

Table of Commitments

This presents the full set of commitments together with the target date for delivery and the lead department / agency with responsibility for its delivery.

Learn more. (PDF, from page 85)

Case study video

Pathways to Work 2021-2025: Technical Paper

Pathways to Work Mid-Term Review - Technical Review of Outcome Key Performance Indicators