The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) held its Annual Delegate Conference (ADC) on Wednesday 28th May in the Ashling Hotel in Dublin. The theme of the conference was the risks and potential of AI, digitalisation and technological change. The potential effects on people who are unemployed, on affiliate organisations and on society as a whole. The impact, particularly of AI, on the world of work and public services has the potential to dramatically change the nature of work and accessing employment; the conference discussed these issues and their potential impacts.
Joanne Farrell, INOU Chairperson, welcomed Minister Dara Calleary and delegates to the conference noting the importance of addressing the contemporary issues facing people who are unemployed, and others who are reliant on social welfare supports, in a world that is throwing up new challenges and opportunities.
In his opening address Dara Calleary, Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht noted that “The Government is committed to ensuring that Ireland will continue to be a global leader in the development and adoption of new digital technologies. Digitalisation and Technological Change is something that has become a driving force for my department. In addition, our Public Employment Services is learning and evaluating where Generative AI can best support the delivery of employment services to jobseekers and to employers.”
In responding to the Minister’s address, Bríd O’Brien, INOU Director noted the importance of addressing income adequacy properly; the need for a pro-active and supportive social welfare system; the need to ensure that there is a smooth transition from welfare to work, and back if required; meaningful and accessible education and training options; build on the capacity of employment programmes; the importance of choice underpinning people’s options; addressing the stigma associated with unemployment; the urgent need to introduce socio-economic status as a new ground into Ireland’s equality legislation; a person centre public employment service open to everyone of working age; and ensure that technological change is inclusive, that it does not exacerbate social and economic inequalities.
Four motions were debated at the Conference including:
- The INOU General Branch calls on the Government to keep their promise to ensure that the Living Wage replaces the National Minimum Wage and to align the Living Wage with the Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL).
- The General Branch calls on the Government to ensure that unemployed people have access to the full range of information, services and supports that are available to them when they become unemployed or sign-on.
- The INOU calls on the Government to deliver wrap around employment and support services that really meet the needs of people who are unemployed, regardless of whether they are on a social welfare payment, and to ensure any use of AI in the public employment service involves service users in the decision-making and evaluation processes of its usage.
- The INOU demands that the Government benchmarks all social welfare rates at a level which is sufficient to lift people above the poverty line and provide them with a Minimum Essential Standard of Living; and to reverse the doubling of the penalty rate for people on a Jobseekers payment, introduced in 2024.
In the roundtable discussions at the Conference, delegates further discussed the issue of technological change across six different topics from the perspective of their work or lived experience. These topics included welfare to work barriers and improving welfare to work supports; quality training and education; adequate levels of income; employment services; jobs; and vulnerable groups. The discussions will be used to inform the INOU’s 2026 pre-budget submission to Government.
The INOU also published its Annual Report for 2024 which covers the broad range of work the organisation undertook during this year: access to the 2024 Annual Report is available here.