End of Jobs Initiative Scheme

22 Feb 2005

The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed is angered that as a result of changes to Active Labour Market Programmes announced by Minister Martin in November 2004, it effectively sees the demise of the Jobs Initiative Scheme. This scheme, which is specifically for those who are over 5 years unemployed and over 35 years of age, provides full time employment for up to three years.

‘The end of the Jobs Initiative (JI) Scheme means that there are fewer options and no full time programme open to long term unemployed people to assist them back into the labour market,’ said Eric Conroy, INOU General Secretary. ‘This programme which is particularly popular among men, has been successful in providing excellent work experience and training with the result that many have returned to the open labour market. There is still a sizeable cohort of very long term unemployed people who need this form of assistance and to remove this support without any alternative is not acceptable’.

The Government policy on Active Labour Market Programmes (AMLPs) is now to replace any JI vacancies with those recruited under the Community Employment programme, which is a part time programme. The INOU is critical of this move because research has shown that people who are closer to the labour market and unemployed for a shorter duration tend to be selected for ALMP’s with the result that the very long-term unemployed can be ‘crowded out’ and be further excluded from the labour market.