'Worrying' 42pc surge in young signing on the dole
The number of young people signing on the dole has surged by 42pc in the last year, it was revealed yesterday.
New figures show that the number of foreigners signing on the Live Register has also hit record highs.
Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin yesterday admitted that the new figures were "worrying" and said the Government did not want to see a continued trend of more young people dependent on welfare payments.
Pointing to end of June Live Register figures, Ms Hanafin said these showed a big increase in the number of under-25s signing on. There are over 48,000 youngsters now looking for full time work.
"Worryingly, the number of under-25-year-olds on the Live Register has increased by 42pc in the past year and this is something I want to see urgently addressed," she said at the announcement of a new drive to encourage young people to gain new skills and qualifications .
Recent CSO figures also showed that more than 14,500 people under the age of 25 were on the live register for more than six months. Half of them have been signing on for between one and three years.
Under the Back to Education Allowance Scheme (BTEA), unemployed persons aged 18-25, who have been signing on the Live Register for more than six months, will be identified and encouraged to gain additional skills and qualifications, according to the minister.
"Officials across the country will spend the summer months identifying young people in their regions who would be eligible to go into an appropriate education or training schemes in the autumn, in order to up-skill and enable them to improve their chances in the jobs market," said the minister.
People on the scheme receive a weekly rate of payment -- which is not means tested -- equivalent to their relevant social welfare payment while they are back in either second or third-level education.
There is also an additional €500 paid to participants at the start of the academic year.
Foreigners
The initiative comes as new figures show that the number of migrant workers from new EU member state claiming unemployment benefits has trebled in 12 months. Almost a sixth of those on the live register are foreign nationals.
Meanwhile, new figures show that more than 38,000 of the 221,000 people on the live register are from abroad.
According to reports at the weekend 15,500 claimants are from the 10 accession states that joined the EU in 2004 and half of them are from Poland.
Another 10,000 are from other overseas countries such as Africa, America and Australia and 2,000 are from the rest of the EU. On the basis of each unemployed person costing the state an average of €11,000 a year, the non-Irish claimants would cost the exchequer about €420m in a full year.
- Fergus Black
