No one left in charge of jobs crisis, warns FG

THE Cabinet reshuffle has left no one in charge of tackling the jobless crisis, the opposition last night claimed.

Brian Cowen’s break-up of Fás in the shake-out had blunted its focus as new figures confirmed the jobless total soaring, critics insisted.

With three ministers now responsible for the state training agency’s activities instead of one previously, opposition leaders said “confusion and buck-passing” would now reign.

Fine Gael finance spokesperson Richard Bruton insisted the Government was overwhelmed by the scale of the jobless crisis as the Quarterly National Household Survey figures showed the unemployment rate had hit 13.1% and another 70,000 had left the country to find work abroad.

“The scale of the unemployment crisis is quite staggering. Male unemployment has hit 15.7%, and long term unemployment is soaring – more than half of the annual increase was long-term.

“Significantly, employment levels fell by 166,900 last year, or 457 everyday. The largest fall in employment levels was in the 20 to 24 age group. And the labour force shrunk by 69,100 in 2009.

“All of this confirms that the scourge of emigration is rife again as our best and brightest are fleeing the country to find work. Other countries are reaping the reward of our skilled and talented workforce.

“Brian Cowen’s reshuffle was a golden opportunity to refocus this dismal Government on job creation and economic recovery. It has failed. Fianna Fáil and the Greens don’t even have an employment strategy,” he said.

Sinn Féin enterprise spokesperson Arthur Morgan said the ministerial shake-up had made the situation worse.

“The Cabinet reshuffle has done nothing to stop the escalation of unemployment but it has created further barriers to accountability and puts a greater veil of confusion and administration with respect to Fás,” he said.

Large chunks of the Fás empire were hived-off from the renamed Trade Enterprise and Innovation Department with the job seeking and community employment services wing of it switching to the Social Protection Department. Skills and training moved to the Education brief now headed by Tánaiste Mary Coughlan.

The changes were intended to create a better fit in government with the expanded Education and Skills department seen as better able to hone state training with other areas such as VEOs, while Social Protection is meant to better integrate the income support programme through the social welfare network.

Brian Cowen claimed the changes would spur job creation and streamline Government action.