Unemployment among the country’s young people is again emerging as a major problem, Labour TD for Longford/Westmeath, Willie Penrose, said this week.
“The further modest reduction in the numbers on the Live Register at the end of October is welcome, but there can be no grounds for complacency when there are 412,000 people signing on, an increase of more than 160,000 on last year,” he said.
“It is clear that renewed emigration is acting as a pressure valve and has led to a reduction in the numbers signing on, but this reduction may prove to be temporary given the traditional pattern of significant increases in numbers out of work during the winter months.
“It is also clear from the FAS report published this week that youth unemployment is again emerging as a major problem. FAS points out that three out of every 10 men in their early 20s who are in the workforce are out of work.
“The 60 per cent reduction in the number of new apprentices entering the workforce is also a matter of concern. Ironically this may lead to a shortage of skills when economic growth resumes.
“Youth unemployment is a social time bomb. If young people are condemned to a pattern of long term unemployment in their teens and early 20s, it is particularly difficult to emerge from it. The Government needs to very significantly increase the number of educational and training options for the young unemployed,” he concluded.
