TRAVELLERS WILL bear the brunt of the economic downturn unless they are directly targeted for employment, chief executive of the Equality Authority, Niall Crowley has said.
Only 13.8 per cent of Travellers are in mainstream employment and "positive action" - specifically targeting Travellers for recruitment - was essential if there was to be any increase in employment levels, Mr Crowley said.
"Positive action can be controversial, but positive action is necessary if the significant distance from the labour market experienced be members of the Traveller community is to be bridged."
Targeting jobs for Travellers could not be seen as unfair to other groups because of the massive disadvantages experienced by Travellers in securing jobs.
Discrimination cases brought to the authority showed many Travellers never got beyond initial job interview processes.
"We are talking in the context of a huge imbalance that won't be rectified without positive action."
The worsening economic situation meant that it was all the more urgent that progress in employing Travellers was made.
"I would be very concerned that Travellers will be further marginalised in the current context," he said.
Mr Crowley was speaking at the launch of a report on 10 positive action employment initiatives for Travellers. The 10 separate organisations across State agencies, public bodies, non-governmental organisations and Traveller groups, created 39 jobs for Travellers.
Participant employers included South Dublin County Council, the Department of Communications, Pavee Point and the Legal Education for All Project from which one Traveller went on to be accepted at the King's Inns with a view to becoming a barrister.
While none of these employers were in the private sector, the initiatives were an example to private enterprises of the valuable contribution Travellers could make to the workplace.
"What these 10 initiatives show is that Travellers are good employees and are well able to do the job," Mr Crowley said.
The employment report was launched to coincide with Traveller Focus Week. A report on the experience of older Travellers was also published yesterday by Travellers' advocacy group Pavee Point.
The report Pavee Beoirs 'n' Glokes (Traveller women and men), details the experiences of older Travellers in the Fingal and Blanchardstown areas. It found that many older Travellers were fearful that their way of life, customs, and traditions, were dying out.
Some respondents also felt they had been discriminated against by service providers in the areas of social welfare and accommodation. Others said they experienced more discrimination in Ireland than in other countries such as Britain. Speaking at the launch of the report, Minister of State for Older People Máire Hoctor said it was imperative that service providers considered the needs of older Travellers.
"Discrimination, whether directed at Travellers or directed at people because of their age, is simply not acceptable in modern Ireland," she said.
A Traveller peace pin designed to encourage an end to conflict within Traveller communities was also launched yesterday as part of Traveller Focus Week. The pin was designed by artist Eamon Colman in conjunction with Pavee Point Travellers' groups.
Winnie Keenan, a Traveller working with the Pavee Point mediation service, who came up with the idea for the pin, said it encouraged debate about the problems within communities.
"I know that many Travellers want to see an end to violence and for people to find better ways of dealing with conflict and sorting out problems," she said.
