From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman TD, and senior representatives from other Government Departments met with representatives of the youth sector today to discuss how best to bring down youth unemployment.
Earlier this year, the Government published Pathways to Work 2021 -2025, which has actions across government to bring down youth unemployment and increase access to training for young people.
Recent data presented at the meeting today shows that progress had been made in recent months in getting young people back into employment. The number of young people on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) has fallen significantly from over 100,000 to 12,200, a drop of 89% since February 2021. Of those people remaining on the PUP, one in 10 are under 25 years of age, compared to one in four in May.
Whilst welcoming this progress, the Tánaiste and Minister O’Gorman acknowledged that significant work remains and they re-stated their commitment to working on a whole of Government basis to bring down the barriers that exist for unemployed young people.
Young people were represented at the meeting by the National Youth Council of Ireland, Foróige, YouthWork Ireland, Education and Training Boards Ireland, and the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed.
The Tánaiste said:
"The pandemic has affected different groups in society in different ways. Young people have borne the brunt of the pandemic in economic terms. So many younger people work in sectors that were closed like retail, hospitality and construction. It encouraging that the percentage of people receiving the PUP who are under 25 has fallen from 25% in May to 10% in September. It’s a reflection of the fact that so many have been able to return to work, full time education or both as the economy and society re-opened. However, there remains a large number of young people who are not in education, employment or training and who are locked out of the labour market and all the opportunities that come with having a job. This inequality been deepened by the pandemic. It was really good today to sit down with organisations representing the voices of young people to discuss youth unemployment and what further things the Government can do to provide opportunities and tear down barriers to those seeking work. It’s something we will be following up on in the coming months."
Minister O’Gorman said:
“We learned from previous recessions that we need to avoid any delay in starting a young person in employment, training or education. It is important that the significant resources this Government has committed for employment activation are accessible and working effectively for those who need them. There is a commitment today from all stakeholders to work together to bring this about to the benefit of young people. “
The Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, said:
“In May, one out of every four people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment was under the age of 25. Thankfully that figure has fallen dramatically in recent months with just over 12,000 people under 25 still on the payment. While this reduction is positive, more work remains to be done.
Through Pathways to Work, the Government has put in place a wide range of supports including recruitment subsidies, training grants and the new Work Place Experience Programme all of which are focused on ensuring that young people have the skills and most importantly the confidence to take on new job opportunities.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science said:
“There is a place for everyone in third level education. Under the Action Plan for Apprenticeships, the Government will increase the number of Apprenticeships to 10,000 by 2025 including across the public service.
"Key to the action plan is broadening the number and type of apprenticeships, and ensuring access for all young people including women and those from backgrounds less represented at present. They will also offer an opportunity to earn and learn.
"Work is also underway by the Department to develop a single portal for school leavers to see all options available to them across CAO, further education and training and apprenticeships. They will provide young people with the skills necessary to gain employment and build a career."
The roundtable discussed services already in place and heard proposals on further initiatives that could be taken. It highlighted the difficulty of reaching some young people not engaged in employment, education or training and the importance of identifying them, linking in with them and supporting them to access available services.
Youth representatives highlighted the importance of statutory and employment agencies linking with the well-established youthwork infrastructure across the country to work together on a range of short, medium and long-term initiatives.
The Tánaiste and Minister O ‘Gorman have agreed to follow up on a number of possibilities discussed. They both acknowledged and thanked youth work organisations for the work they had done during Covid to remain engaged with young people, supporting their mental health and wellbeing.
ENDS