Fine Gael Youth Job Plan will take up to 30,000 under 25s off the Live Register

Biggest increase in youth unemployment…

• Nov 07 1572 to Nov 09 3749. increase 138.5%( 2,177) increase in two years in Cork;
• Carrigaline Nov 07 99 Nov 09 374 277.8%(275) increase in two years;

Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer, speaking on the launch of his party’s newest policy initiative ‘Hope for a Lost Generation’, said “this new policy will bring much needed hope for thousands of young people. Unemployment among under-25 year olds has shot up by 158% over the last two years. Across the country there are currently 3,749 under 25s on the live register which represents a 138% increase over a two year period. Unemployment in Ireland is now the second highest in the Euro zone. In Carrigaline area of Cork South Central there is a 277.8 %( 275) increase in two years with 374 young people. This new initiative will take up to 30,000 young people off the live register through a combination of work share jobs created, national internship programmes, second chance education schemes and an expanded community employment scheme.

Cork has been hit badly by large scale job losses, and we must ensure that a generation is not lost due to bad decision making, the Carrigaline area alone has seen a 278% increase in under 25s receiving social welfare in the last two years. As Enda Kenny stated; “Fine Gael has a fundamentally different approach to Fianna Fail when it comes to the Budget and tackling this economic depression.

We see the Budget as an opportunity to deliver pro jobs, pro enterprise policies so that we can get our country back to work. That is why Fine Gael has shown how, through our New ERA plan; we can deliver an €18bn stimulus plan over four years that will get 105,000 people back to work”. Fine Gael conservatively estimates that over 30,000 of these 38,000 or so places will be filled by people on the Live Register. In this way we are confident that more than one third of the 87,100 under 25s on the Live Register can come off that list in 2010. This is the type of intervention, targeted and specific to our needs, that is required to get us out of this economic mess. This is the type of intervention that is sadly missing from this Government.

By Senator Jerry Buttimer Constituency Office 4 A Glasheen Road, Cork. CLINIC TIMES: Monday: Ballyphehane Community Centre 6pm – 6.30pm Friday: Mahon Community Centre 12.30 pm – 1pm Friday: Togher Community Centre 6pm – 6.30pm Tel: 021 484 0652 Mobile: 086 235 6892 Email: jerry.buttimer@oir.ie