Government employment policy described as inadequate

The Government’s employment policy has been described as inadequate and the unemployment figures criticised for not reflecting the true number of people out of work.

Independent TD Tom Fleming said the number of people on the dole for more than three years had risen fourfold, from 25,000 in 2009 to 100,000 last year. "More than one in four people are now on the dole for more than three years," he said.

He also said many of the jobs that had been created were low-paid or temporary. The Kerry South TD criticised the classification of 25,000 people on “activation schemes” as being in employment, even though “they are only on short-term training schemes”.

“It does not give a true indication of their status,” he said, and he criticised some job schemes that offered “zero-hour contracts, JobBridge positions or part-time work and they are unsustainable”.

He also sharply criticised the IDA for concentrating its job-creation efforts on Dublin and Cork and described his own county as an “industrial wasteland”, with major emigration and “no hope”.

Mr Fleming was speaking for the first time on leaders’ questions in the Dáil.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny disagreed that there was no hope. “Far from being despondent, I see 2015 and beyond as years of great opportunity.” There was a proven record of “stabilising and growing many sectors”, Mr Kenny added, and the Government would continue to “focus relentlessly” on job-creation.

He highlighted the success of the VAT reduction from 13.5 per cent to 9 per cent in the creation of 25,000 jobs as well as the creation of the Wild Atlantic Way, which benefited Kerry. The Taoiseach said that 80,000 jobs had been created since the Action Plan for Jobs was published and unemployment had fallen for almost 30 months in a row.