Minister Joan Burton ruled out any commitment to restore Jobseekers’ for those under 26, following a Dail question by Deputy Thomas Pringle on youth unemployment.
Deputy Pringle
The Minister stated that any change to the reduced rates of jobseeker’s allowance for people under 26 would involve a significant cost and as such is a matter for Government to consider in a budgetary context.
Reduced Jobseekers’ rates for those under 26 years of age were first introduced in 2009 and further extended in 2014 by the current Government.
Reacting to the news, Deputy Pringle said ‘There are currently around 2,400 young people unemployed in Donegal and that hasn’t changed much over the past year since the reduced rate was introduced. That’s unacceptably high after five years of the Government’s term in office’ says Pringle.
‘The reduced Jobseekers’ rate and the string of job activation measures were meant to target youth unemployment but failed to acknowledge the reality for young jobseekers. They fail to consider the double disadvantage for young jobseekers in Donegal: less available jobs and higher costs associated with upskilling such as travel and expenses.’
‘It’s a common complaint I hear from parents in Donegal who struggle to financially support their children who are unable to find jobs even years after they’ve graduated from college.
‘It’s time that Donegal got a targeted response from the Government to its stubbornly high youth unemployment rate especially now that the Government failed to deliver on its Youth Guarantee promise in this year’s Budget."