The number of young people who are on Jobseeker’s Allowance in Donegal has fallen by up to 1,000, but the rate is still causing concern with leading representatives.
New figures from the Department of Social Protection show that 1,181 young people under 26 in Donegal are in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance or Benefit for six months or more. The youth unemployment level has dropped from 2,137 in 2016.
The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) – whose members work with over 380,000 young people nationwide – expressed concern about the figures in the county.
Commenting on the figures James Doorley, NYCI Deputy Director said: “We are concerned at the number of young people who are unemployed in Donegal, particularly those unemployed for six months or more. This disappointing figure is mirrored at the national level, where we have over 11,711 young people long-term unemployed.
“The EU Youth Guarantee Programme guarantees a work, education or training opportunity to any young person unemployed for four months or more. In 2013, the Government committed to the implementation of the Youth Guarantee in Ireland. Yet four years on, despite the improving economy and labour market, we still have too many young people out of work,” explained Mr Doorley.
Picture by Tommy Clancy.
The NYCI is calling on Government to develop an action plan under this scheme in order to reduce the number of young long term unemployed to 5,000 – more than halving long term youth unemployment by the end of 2018.
“It is vital we support young jobseekers into education, training and work experience and prevent the drift into long-term joblessness. This will require a renewed focus on the implementation of the Youth Guarantee and the provision of additional education and training places,” continued Mr Doorley.
“We recommend an additional investment of €47.4m in Budget 2018 to reduce the number of young people long term unemployed by the end of 2018. This is the gross cost, as this investment would lead to reduced social welfare payments as more young people move into employment – saving €33.4m per annum. While the net financial cost would be €15m, the social, economic and community benefit of having over 6,000 more young people in gainful employment is incalculable.
“As the economy recovers we should be much more ambitious in tackling long term unemployment in particular among young people. Our proposals are achievable and we look forward to engaging with the new Taoiseach on this issue in the coming weeks,” concluded Mr Doorley.
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