When are we going to start addressing unemployment?

2 Dec 2009

With a week to go until Budget Day it is crucially important that the Government starts to prioritise unemployment. There are now 423,400 people on the Live Register - the seasonally adjusted figure for November. The Standardised Unemployment Rate is 12.5%: it was 8.2% this time last year and only 4.9% in November 2007. "It is astounding that so little has been done to date to maintain employment and identify potential job creation," said Bríd O'Brien, Head of Policy and Media with the INOU.

The latest redundancy figures were released yesterday: so far in 2009 73,024 people have been made redundant, 96% higher than this time last year. Three sectors continue to dominate these figures and they are other services; building and civil engineering; and other manufacturing.

The INOU is very conscious that the best way to address unemployment is through job creation and facilitating people to move from a welfare payment to work. The interaction of the social welfare and tax systems play an important role in this regard. However, the INOU completely disputes all calls to cut unemployment payments as the maintenance of an acceptable standard of living for all unemployed people is crucial. "It is equally important if people are to be encouraged to re-train and up-skill themselves that they are not worrying about making ends meet," continued Bríd.

When the vision for the labour market is one of increasing technology, innovation and skills levels it is crucial that every effort is made to create access points for unemployed people and others distant from the labour market.

Building a more integrated and client centred employment service that actively strives to match the right person with the right opportunity is vital if we are to build a truly inclusive labour market. To ensure the development of a 'smart' economy that does not exacerbate socio-economic exclusion demands the urgent development of 'smart' and flexible services.

 

For further information contact:
Bríd O'Brien, Head of Policy and Media at 01 856 0088; 086 608 9641

 

A copy of our full Pre-Budget Submission is available on our website: www.inou.ie