The Live Register figures are expected to show an increase when they are published tomorrow, because of the 1,300 people laid off at the Fruit of the Loom last month. However, when seasonally adjusted, they are still expected to show that the overall trend continues downwards.
Figures prepared by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs also show that there is an accelerating decrease in the number of people who are long-term unemployed.
Last night the Minister, Mr Ahern, said: "The drift to long-term unemployment is being reversed. Like the shift from Community Employment to skills training programmes by FAS, my Department is focusing on the Back to Work Allowance Programme and other measures to help long-term unemployed people back into employment or self-employment."
In the two years to the end of October 1998, the number of long-term unemployed people has fallen by more than 19,000 a year, according to Central Statistics Office figures prepared for Mr Ahern's Department. The Minister said that the number of places on the Back to Work Allowance programme has been increased by 2,000 this month, to a record 29,000, in order to cater for an increasing demand by long-term unemployed people to avail of it. "Despite our buoyant economy, the very long-term unemployed still face barriers in getting a job," he said.
"To help address this problem, a special pilot scheme is being introduced which will target those who are five years or more on the Live Register. This will place people with selected employers for a six-week training period, after which they will progress to the Back to Work Allowance. During the six-week period, participants in the new scheme will retain their full unemployment payments and secondary benefits, plus a weekly travel and meal allowance of £25." Mr Ahern said the new scheme was due to start in July.
At present there are 14,300 people in paid employment participating in the Back to Work programme plus 9,700 who are self-employed. A further 7,300 people are self-employed through area based social partnership schemes and these receive Area Allowance Enterprise payments. The main sectors where the long-term unemployed are finding work are business services, construction, manufacturing and transport. Thirty-one per cent of participants in paid employment and 28 per cent in self-employment were in business services. The figures prepared by the Central Statistics Office show that unemployment is falling fastest amongst the under-25s. By the end of last year, the under-25s represented one in five of those signing on, compared with one in four two years previously. The 25 to 34 years age group has remained relatively static and the over-45s now comprise 30 per cent of long-term unemployed men and 20 per cent of long-term unemployed women.
The overall number of long-term unemployed on the Live Register is now below 100,000 for the first time since October 1990 and they now comprise just over 45 per cent of the total number of unemployed, after being persistently over 50 per cent throughout most of the 1990s.
