THE GOVERNMENT is planning to use personal information of thousands of people on the Live Register to help target training and education at those at highest risk of becoming long-term unemployed.
Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin said yesterday that many people signing on have high skill levels and a long work history, making intervention less necessary. Instead, the main target of its resources will be those who are older, with poor literacy or numeracy skills, and a longer history of unemployment.
Through a new profiling system which examines claimants’ education levels and other indicators, Ms Hanafin said officials will be able to target support at those who need it most.
“Prevention of long-term unemployment must be our priority,” Ms Hanafin said. “There is a range of supports in place to encourage and facilitate people on social welfare payments to take up work and training options, through the back-to-work and back-to-education allowances.”
Ms Hanafin was speaking at the publication of an ESRI report which tracked 60,000 people on the Live Register over an 18-month period to identify those most at risk of long-term unemployment. People who were most at risk involved those who were older, had previously participated in the community employment schemes, had a number of children, a low standard of education and lived in poorer areas.
Women who are married were less likely than single women to leave the Live Register, as are those women whose spouses are high earners. The authors of the report said its profiling model could be used as the basis for a national system.
The report says that to make full use of the system, profiling will need to be combined with training programmes that enhance people’s employment prospects.
Ms Hanafin said that during the last 12 months almost 150,000 people left the Live Register because they secured employment, while a further 21,200 left to take up education or training.
“This is a positive trend that shows there are still jobs available and that the Government activation measures are assisting the unemployed to develop their skills and secure employment,” she said.
Changes to social welfare legislation introduced this year will allow for the collection of personal information relating to claimants.
