ONLY 15 per cent of the 7,500 unemployed people assisted by the Local Employment Service (LES) have so far managed to find jobs. A further 10 per cent are on community employment and work experience schemes and 16 per cent are in education and training.
The figures were provided by the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Mr Bruton, at the announcement of four new LES centres yesterday. The new centres will be located in areas of high unemployment.
Three are in the west Dublin suburbs of Ballyfermot, Clondalkin and Blanchardstown. The fourth is in Drogheda. This brings the total number of centres to 18.
Of the 7,500 unemployed people assisted by the local schemes so far, 43 per cent were long term unemployed.
While the number of placements to date is low, Mr Bruton believes the system will eventually deliver jobs. He says the service is only 18 months old and significant numbers of client's came on stream only during 1996.
The system was recommended by the National Economic and Social Forum, on which the Government, employers, trade unions and the voluntary sector are represented.
Drogheda has an unemployment rate of 24.6 per cent, 8 per cent higher than the national average. Ballyfermot has 35 per cent unemployment, Clondalkin 47.6 per cent and areas of Blanchardstown have 70 per cent unemployment.
The chairman of the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, Mr Paul Billings, said later that there was a danger that the extension of the LES could prove a sham. In many areas it had failed to link the long term unemployed with the emerging opportunities on the Job Initiative and Community Employment schemes.