JobBridge programme displaces real jobs – Crowe

Dublin South West Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe has said it is outrageous that Minister Richard Bruton is extending the JobBridge programme which he believes is displacing real jobs.

Deputy Crowe said the scheme enables employers to swap what should be a paid probationary period for a free internship at the expense of the state.

“The reality is that the JobBridge programme is facilitating job displacement and exploitation.

“The fact that a high percentage of the small number of participants who gained employment with their JobBridge host company shows how the scheme displaces real jobs. It enables employers to swap what should be a paid probationary period for a free internship all at the expense of the state.

“The displacement of real jobs is not a problem that has been ‘ironed out’ as the Minister would have us believe. On any given day you can visit the JobBridge website and see positions advertised that involve no meaningful training and which demand the applicant should already have experience. These are jobs for which people should be paid a proper wage.

“Sinn Féin wants to see the introduction of a genuine internship scheme which guarantees meaningful up-skilling and protects against exploitation.”