Travellers are put off seeking mainstream employment by discrimination, hostility and the fear of rejection, a report said today.
The study of the needs of Travellers found that apprehension about looking for work was reinforced by their lack of personal experience of a wage economy.
Insisting that the State had a major role to play in getting Travellers into work, a Government working group issued 59 recommendations and conclusions designed to help improve the lives of the country's Travellers.
The detailed report of the High Level Group on Travellers was presented to Cabinet last Tuesday. It studied two pilot projects in Co Clare and south Dublin that were set up in a bid to achieve better outcomes for Travellers.
The body said problems had to be addressed at a local level but warned that there was no magic wand to ease many of the troubles facing Travellers.
The High Level Group said the problems facing Travellers had to be addressed at a local level: "It is only by engaging all the relevant agencies in a focused way on the needs of individual sites, estates and even families, that the multiple disadvantages that many Travellers face can be overcome.
It warned that although proving Travellers with accommodation was important it was not the solution to all their problems.
The body also noted the need for law enforcement and urged gardaí to do more to build relations with Travellers. "It is clear that the primary victims of illegality and criminality in the Traveller community are Travellers themselves."
Frank Fahey, junior minister at the Department of Justice, called for a sustained effort from Government to improve the situation.