Jobs fund promised within first 100 days

THE Government is to establish a major jobs fund within its first 100 days in office, which it promises will deliver thousands of new training and work placement opportunities.

The recent cut in the minimum wage will also be reversed which will see the present hourly rate of €7.65 rise again to €8.65 per hour.

Funding will be provided for an extra 15,000 places in training, work experience and educational opportunities over the next few months for those currently unemployed, with the Government promising 60,000 extra places over the longer term as part of a new graduate and apprentice internship scheme aimed at young people out of work.

Half of the additional training places will be within the education and training system and focused on key sectors as recommended by a recent report from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs.

For employers, the lower PRSI rate of 8.5% will be halved up to the end of 2013 for jobs which pay up to €356 per week in a bid to encourage them to hire extra staff.

The Government will also examine Joint Labour Committee agreements on pay levels in certain sectors with a view to reform of pay rates for “atypical hours.”

An immediate priority will also be given to the provision of more resources for a national housing energy retro-fitting plan in order to boost work for skilled labourers and as part of plans to phase out subsidies in this area by 2014.

Other non-specified initiatives in various sectors will be implemented to create employment in the domestic economy.

The controversial and much-criticised state employment agency, Fás, is to be replaced with a new National Employment and Entitlements Service to enable all labour and benefit support services to be integrated into a single organisation which will be overseen by the Department of Social Protection.

The new body will provide a “one stop shop” for anyone seeking to establish their benefit entitlements as well as information on job vacancies and seeking advice about training options.

It will also process entitlements such as supplementary welfare allowances, higher education grants and other welfare allowances and some means testing for state entitlements.

It is proposed that the NEES will also offer users more personalised employment counselling with more frequent face-to-face interviews.

Priority treatment for greater assistance is promised for those on the Live Register who are identified as most at risk of long-term unemployment

There will also be fresh initiatives designed to increase access to further high-level education for the unemployed.