LATEST figures from the Department of Social Protection show that 1,625 young people in Limerick are in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance or Benefit.
The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), which represents youth organisations working with over 380,000 young people nationwide, is now calling for measures to reduce youth unemployment in County Limerick.
NYCI believes the number of young people in Limerick in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance or Benefit is still far too high and investment to tackle the continued high level of youth unemployment is needed.
As part of its pre-budget submission published recently, the NYCI is calling for an investment of €30m in a renewed Youth Guarantee scheme and asking Government to incentivise education, training and work experience for young people by reversing the cuts in payments to young people on these schemes.
“While youth unemployment has declined from the crisis levels of the 2009 to 2013 period, the most recent figures indicate that we have almost 40,000 young people on the live register — of whom 16,000 have been on the register for one year or more,” said NYCI’s deputy director James Doorley.
“In Limerick alone there are 1,625 young people in receipt of Jobseekers payments. We need action now to support these young people on the path to employment.”
In the upcoming budget, NYCI is calling on the Government to “review, reboot and invest in the Youth Guarantee”.
“In 2014 the Government committed to the introduction of the guarantee of an education, training or work experience place for any young person who is unemployed for four months or more. To date the implementation of this has been found wanting.
“That is why we are calling on Government to invest €30 million in a renewed Youth Guarantee, particularly focusing on the over 16,000 young people on the live register for 12 months or more, and with the overall aim of getting the rate of youth unemployment down to eight-nine per cent by the end of 2017,” he concluded.
by Alan Jacques
