About this episode

Niall Boylan discusses long-term unemployment in Ireland with Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín, focusing on the implications of Jobseeker's Allowance for over a decade.

Niall speaks to Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín about new figures revealing that 6,329 people have been receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance for more than ten years. The figures also show that almost 39,000 people have remained on the payment for at least two years, approximately 21,000 for four years or more and around 9,000 for over eight years. This is happening while Ireland’s unemployment rate stands at approximately 5 per cent. Tóibín argues that there is “no shortage of jobs out there” and insists that social welfare must remain a safety net rather than “become a lifestyle”. He estimates that supporting more than 6,000 people for over a decade may have cost the State as much as €800 million and is calling for penalties where someone chooses to remain unemployed despite being capable of working. Under the existing rules, a person receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance must be capable of working, available for full-time employment and genuinely seeking work. So how can thousands of people apparently satisfy those conditions continuously for more than a decade? Niall and Peadar discuss whether long-term recipients should be required to accept suitable employment, training, voluntary work or a…

People in this episode

Host: Niall Boylan

Guest: Peadar Tóibín

Topics covered

• unemployment
• social welfare
• Jobseeker's Allowance
• long-term unemployment
• employment opportunities

Keywords

• unemployment
• Jobseeker's Allowance
• social welfare
• Peadar Tóibín
• Ireland
• long-term recipients
• employment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Aontú

Places: Ireland

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