Pathways to Work scheme aims to have 2.5 million employed by 2024

An ambitious new programme to get 75,000 people back to work in just two years has been unveiled by government

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys and the Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the Louth Meath Education Training Board in Dundalk today. Photo: Maxwells

New welfare reforms, including a pay-related jobseekers payment, will be agreed by 2022.

Heather Humphreys, the Minister for Social Protection, says the government has been "drawing on the experience of the pandemic", and is developing proposals for a basic income guarantee and a Jobseekers payment based on pay.

"I think what Covid has taught us is that we don't want to see people with it with a cliff-edge drop in their income. This is something that I'm working on with my officials in the department," Ms Humphreys said.

"We need to look at the European model because many EU member states have this type of support available, so we expect we'll have it in in 2022. We need to get it right."

She said the moves will need cross-party support and, due to the volume of work required, she does not expect it to be in place for the coming budget.

The announcement was made as the government unveiled an ambitious plan to get 75,000 people back to work in two years' time.

Minister of State with responsibility for Business and Employment Damien English, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Minister O'Brien, Minister in the Department of Rural and Community Development and Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys at the Louth Meath Education Training Board (LMETB) in Dundalk today. Photo: Maxwells

Unveiled today in Dundalk, the 'Pathways to Work 2021-2025' plan will see subsidies of up to €10,000 for employers who take people off the Live Register, in addition to 10,000 paid work experience placements, 4000 of which are reserved for young people. The plan also includes 50,000 further and higher education training places and a plan to reduce youth unemployment from 44% to 12.5% by 2023.

The national employment strategy, which contains 83 commitments across all Government departments, targets having 2.5 million people in work by 2024.

The government has defended the Work Placement Experience Programme, in which participants on the scheme will be paid €306 per week, which is €44 less than the maximum PUP payment, for 30 hours work, with additional amounts payable in respect of dependent adults/children and funded by the government.

Opposition politicians quickly compared the scheme to the controversial Job Bridge programme from 2011.

Ms Humphreys says she does not envisage similar problems with the new programme as a number of checks and balances have been implemented for the employer and the worker.

"This is a different scheme and there are a lot more protections in place," she said.

We're also going to make sure that those participants in the scheme get an extra €103 on top of their social welfare or other job seekers payment.

"It's also along with training, so it's for six months, 60 hours of training and 20 hours of that must be accredited either within the sector or another body and there's an opt-in, this is voluntary. If it doesn't work for somebody, they can leave the scheme and go back on to Jobseekers.

"It really does work and the Labour Market Advisory Council have strongly said that a work placement scheme helps people get back into the labour market and that's what we want to do."