INOU Presentation to Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection on Jobless Households 14 th January 2015

Who are the jobless? People who are unempl0yed Particular issues for young people; older people Many people who have a disability Many people who are parenting alone Many people who are working in piecemeal, part-time, low work intensity jobs

What are the issues? Access to an adequate income Reliance on public services In rural areas lack of transport critical Accurate and timely information critical to access Lack of access to sustainable and decent employment In rural areas striking lack of opportunities Outside of certain sectors lack of decent paid employment Cost of participation: higher for people with disabilities; people with caring responsibilities Strong commitment to meet social targets

Adequate Income Social protection Accurate and timely information critical Constructive and respectful engagement Impact of recession Negative perceptions can be demeaning and harmful Work is not always a route out of poverty Cycle of welfare, low paid work Precarious nature of a lot of available employment Social protection system increasing focus on welfare or work

Reliance on Public Services Impact of recession on adequacy of provision Intreo not open to everyone of working age nor to everyone who is in a jobless household Strong links between housing tenure and joblessness Lack of affordable transport reinforces isolation esp. for people living in rural areas; who have a disability

Increase Access to Employment Supports to re-skill, re-educate: strong links between educational & employment status PES / Intreo open to everyone of working age Address exclusion and discrimination in the labour market Address lack of opportunities outside of large urban areas Address barriers to participation e.g. childcare, accessible transport Work with employers to ensure access to existing and emerging employment opportunities

Social Targets Integrated policies required Social & equality assessment across Government Social inclusion / equality / human rights principles embedded into the heart of: Policy making Service / support design & delivery Monitoring & evaluation