Congress General Secretary David Begg has said that the key to getting people back to work is to "inject badly needed demand into our economy, which has been subjected to a relentless austerity drive."
Speaking in response to the launch of the Pathways to Work plan he said that while properly-targeted intervention and training would "help equip people to take up work opportunities, the missing link remains the very existence of those job opportunities. We currently have approximately 39 applicants for every position, which is clear proof that people want to work and earn a living.
"In the not too distant past we had one of the lowest jobless rates in Europe and people filled all available job vacancies. The problem now is the lack of vacancies.
"The real test of the success or otherwise of this initiative will be how it serves those who desperately want to work and how it addresses the twin crises of youth and long term unemployment," Mr Begg said.
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Irish Congress of Trade Unions,
32 Parnell Square,
Dublin 1
Tel: (01) 8897799/ 087 9174171
