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Over 2,000 young jobseekers in
Donegal
06.09.16
A YOUTH organisation
has called for Donegal's unemployment problem to be
urgently tackled as figures show more than 2,000
young people in the county are out of work.
Latest Department of Social Protection data shows
that the number of young people in Donegal in
receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance or Benefit now
stands at 2,137.
This number is "still far too high", says the
National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) which will
be making a pre-budget submission to the Government
on the issue.
The NYCI represents youth organisations working with
more than 380,000 young people nationwide.
Its deputy director James Doorley said: “While youth
unemployment has declined from the crisis levels of
the 2009 to 2013 period, the most recent figures
indicate that we have almost 40,000 young people on
the Live Register - of whom 16,000 have been on the
register for one year or more.
"In Donegal alone there are 2,137 young people in
receipt of jobseekers' payments. We need action now
to support these young people on the path to
employment.”
The organisation said new EU data on Ireland shows
that one-in-five young people are "not in education,
employment or training".
Among the recommendations in the NYCI's pre-budget
submission are a €30m investment in the Youth
Guarantee scheme focusing on any young person
unemployed for four months or more. The NYCI is also
calling on the Government to incentivise education,
training and work experience by reversing cuts in
payments to young people on these schemes. The cuts,
made during the recession, included a drop to €160 a
week for VTOS, Youthreach, SOLAS and Back to
Education Allowance recipients. Meanwhile, JobBridge
interns who were on €100 per week prior to
participation, receive €152.50 per week while
working between 35 and 40 hours weekly. |
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