Youth Jobs Guarantee must be sufficiently and adequately resourced- Crowe

Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Diaspora, Seán Crowe TD, raised the issue of youth unemployment and the resourcing of the EU Youth Jobs Guarantee with the Taoiseach and Tánaiste in the Dáil yesterday.

Speaking during statements on pre-European Council statements in the Dáil, Dublin South West TD, Seán Crowe said:

“There are more than 5 and a half million young people across the EU not able to find work. Across the European Union, 22% of people between the ages of 15-24 are jobless, a figure that swells to as much as 50% in Greece and Spain.

“Long-term youth unemployment reveals an even starker reality: over 30% of young people have been unemployed for more than twelve consecutive months.

“CSO figures released last week show that the number of young people on the live register in this state has risen from December to January by 1,420. There are now a staggering 68, 944 young people signing on. This figure does not include the many thousands who have to emigrated in recent months.

“Last week Canadian working visas were snapped up in record time by thousands Irish emigrants last week. More than 6,350 Canadian work visa were given to Irish applicants in just four days and the 2013 quota for visas to be given by the Canadian Government to Irish applicants has already been met.

“We know many young people now see emigration as the only option open to them so we must ensure that deliberate and determined interventions are put in place to give young people choices.

“Sinn Féin recently met with representatives of the National Youth Council of Ireland. While welcoming political support for a Youth Jobs Guarantee, they have a number of concerns.

“Successful youth guarantee schemes have been implemented in Sweden and Finland and they have reduced youth unemployment and inactivity. These schemes must be evaluated and studied, so that the positive elements can be incorporated in Ireland.

“However the guarantees in Sweden and Finland were found to be more effective for young people who were new to the labour market than those who were long-term unemployed.

“The Government should include additional measures in the Guarantee to support young people who are long-term unemployed and avoid the weaknesses identified in the schemes implemented in Sweden and Finland.

“Additionally, young workers can often only access precarious, temporary jobs or traineeships which offer little real prospect of career progression.

“The Government must ensure that any Youth Jobs Guarantee will be resourced to ensure that there is sufficient high quality education, training and job experience places and the staff to provide intensive job counselling and guidance.”