Ambitious strategy aims to put 2.5M in work by 2024

The Government has today launched Pathways to Work 2021-2025 – an ambitious new strategy designed to drive employment as Ireland recovers from COVID-19.

The national employment strategy, which contains 83 commitments across all Government Departments, was launched today in Dundalk by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris and Minister of State with responsibility for Business and Employment Damien English.

Pathways to Work builds on the Government’s Economy Recovery Plan in kick-starting a jobs rich recovery, ensuring there are 2.5 million people in work by 2024.

The strategy aims to remove barriers to employment, provide tens of thousands of training and education places, significantly enhance the Public Employment Service, provide incentives to employers to take people off the Live Register, and deliver a special package of supports for young people.

Among the key commitments include:

· Reduce long-term unemployment: Get 75,000 long-term unemployed people into employment by July 2023.

· Young people: Reduce youth employment to 12.5%, provide 50,000 further education and training places, deliver 10,000 apprenticeships, recruitment subsidies for employers who take young people off the Live Register; ring-fence 1,000 place on Community Employment and Tús programmes.

· Work Placement Experience Programme: In line with international best practice, provide 10,000 paid quality work placements, 4,000 of which will be reserved for young people. Participants on the scheme will be paid €306 per week with additional amounts payable in respect of dependent adults / children.

· Employers: Recruitment subsidies of between €7,500 and €10,000 for employers who take people off the live register.

· Employment Services: Host 150 job promotion events per annum, significantly enhance the capacity of the Public Employment Service, Intreo, and assign a dedicated case officer to all unemployed people to help them back to work.

· €1,000 Training Support Grant: Provided to jobseekers to avail of short term, accredited training programmes.

· Welfare Reform: Drawing on the experience of the pandemic, develop proposals for a basic income guarantee and a new pay-related short-duration jobseeker payment.

· Leaving Nobody Behind: Extend targeted employment supports to groups facing challenges entering the workforce such as people with disabilities, lone parents and minority groups, including travellers.

· Remote Working: Provide remote working options to participants of work placement, education and training schemes.

Today’s Pathways to Work launch took place at the Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Training Centre of Excellence in Dundalk.

Speaking at the launch, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD, said:

“The overall ambition of the Plan is to exceed pre-crisis employment levels by reaching 2.5 million people in work by 2024. Crucially, though, these jobs will be more productive, more resilient and more secure."

He said the government is committed to delivering on the targets set out in the strategy "to drive a jobs-led economic recovery, to build back better, and to build back fairer".

Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, added:

“It’s about leaving nobody behind, providing new opportunities to retrain and re-skill and, above all, giving people the support they need to secure quality, sustainable employment.

“This is important for our society, our economy and for every unemployed person, whether they lost their jobs due to COVID or who were already unemployed pre-COVID."

Work Placement Experience Programme

Alongside the Pathways to Work strategy, Government also launched a new Work Placement Experience Programme. This new programme will benefit 10,000 jobseekers of all ages, who have been unemployed for more than six months (including time in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment).

This initiative aims to keep jobseekers close to the labour market and provide them with quality work experience to increase their prospects of returning to employment. Participation will be entirely voluntary and the payment rate for participants on this programme is set at €306 per week.

The total cost of this programme over two years is €95 million with a contribution of €27 million from the National Training Fund. This programme is also included as a priority for funding under the National Resilience and Recovery Plan submitted to the EU Commission.

On this new Work Experience Programme, Minister Humphreys noted:

“This new programme will provide unemployed people with the opportunity to build their work experience and avail of accredited training and development opportunities.

“It will be available, on a no-strings, voluntary basis, to all people who have been unemployed for more than six months – including recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment."

Up to 4,000 of the 10,000 places on the programme will be ring-fenced for young people.

“I strongly encourage employers and jobseekers alike to participate and get involved in this new work placement experience programme over the coming months.”

Progress under Pathways to Work 2021-2025 will be monitored against the commitments and indicators it sets out. This will be done through annual progress reports and a mid-term review of the strategy in 2023 with the support of the Labour Market Advisory Council.