Over 3,000 people in Cork in receipt of unemployment payment for over 12 months or longer
Fine Gael TD for Cork North West John Paul O'Shea who recently obtained a county-by-county breakdown of those in receipt of an unemployment payment expressed serious concerns over the figures. 'At a time when small businesses all across the country are crying out for staff, it's hard to fathom why anybody would be in receipt of an unemployment payment for over a year. Yet figures from the Department of Social Protection show that 47,764 have been in receipt of a Jobseekers' Allowance payment for over 12 months.'
'We have record employment levels in Ireland,' said the Cork TD. 'There is a job out there for everybody that wants one. We need to seriously ask the question, why are some people still not entering the workforce?
'There are a plethora of supports in place to help people with further education, training and reskilling. We also have programmes like Community Employment and the Work Placement Experience Programme which help people get hands on work experience,' he added.
Deputy O'Shea said the reasons behind the figures need to be examined in more detail. 'Are there welfare traps which are acting as a disincentive to people taking up employment? Do we need to examine the penalty rates for those who refuse to engage with back to work supports?'
Mr O'Shea reiterated his belief that a major focus is required to get long term jobseekers back to work. 'There are small businesses in towns and villages across the country who cannot get staff particularly in the hospitality sector as we approach the busy summer season.'
Deputy O'Shea called on the Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary to publish a comprehensive new employment strategy to tackle the issue of long-term unemployment. 'I am calling on Minister Calleary to publish a comprehensive new employment strategy which focuses on intensive engagement with those who are long term unemployed.
'We should not be complacent because Ireland is at full employment. If anything now is the time to redouble our efforts so we can help address labour shortages in the economy by supporting those most distant from the labour market into the workforce,' he added.
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