Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Ireland (Ratification: 1969)

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Articles 1 and 3 of the Convention. Organization of the public employment service. The Government indicates that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, public employment services were periodically suspended and that remote access to employment services were maintained through a self-referral system. The Government reports that, since 2022, full in-person services have resumed, with a focus on expanding a blended in-person and online service model. The Government also indicates that, in January 2022, following a comprehensive review, a new management framework was introduced with a single board member overseeing all employment services. The Government further indicates that one of the measures implemented under the Pathways to Work 2021–2025 strategy (Ireland employment strategy) is the Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP), designed to help individuals gain relevant work skills through six-month placements in host organizations. The Government reports that 665 persons have participated in the WPEP, with a 45 per cent employment progression rate among those who have completed the programme. The Government indicates that the Pathways to Work 2021–2025 strategy also launched a “Case Officer/Job Coach” model, dividing the tasks between Case Officers (now called Employment Personal Advisers) and Job Coaches who provide personalized employment support to jobseekers. The Government indicates that another measure under the Pathways to Work 2021–2025 strategy is the expansion of the public employment services delivered through Intreo (a service launched in 2012 which aims at providing a single point of contact for all employment and income supports and services) in some areas where there was no local employment services, with the introduction of the new Intreo Partners model, the Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Service, and the Intreo Partners National Employment Service. The Government adds that, since July 2022, it has initiated proactive outreach to young people receiving disability allowance, promoting awareness of Intreo services and suggesting that they meet with an Employment Personal Adviser. The Committee however notes that the mid-term review of the Pathways to Work 2021–2025 strategy, published in May 2024, concludes that while Ireland has experienced a remarkable improvement in labour market performance, specific categories of workers like persons with disabilities, lone parents, members of the Travellers and Roma communities and migrants remain underrepresented. The mid-term Review states that the public employment service must therefore continue to support a diverse range of groups in accessing employment opportunities and emphasizes the need for strong cooperation with employers, unions and NGOs, alongside sufficient resource allocation in this regard. The Committee notes that, following the mid-term review, an updated Pathways to work 2021-2025 strategy with new and revised commitments and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) was published which focuses on addressing: (i) labour and skills shortages; (ii) green and digital transition; and (iii) the need to increase participation rates for disadvantaged groups. The Committee refers to its 2024 comment on the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), and requests the Government to continue to provide updated and detailed information on the measures carried out by the public employment service for the achievement and maintenance of full, productive employment and decent work, particularly for disadvantaged categories of workers, including women, persons with disabilities, migrants and the Travellers and Roma communities.

Article 4. Cooperation with the social partners. The Government indicates that the Pathways to Work 2021–2025 strategy was developed following consultation with key stakeholders nationwide, including employers, trade unions and civil society organisations. The Committee notes with interest that the Labour Market Advisory Council (LMAC), which includes representatives from employers, trade unions and civil society bodies, oversees the delivery of the Pathways to Work strategy 2021–2025. An Employer Engagement Sub-group provides advice and support to the LMAC on how best to engage with the needs of employers in a manner which supports the objective of reducing unemployment and achieving decent work for all. Further, a public consultation was carried out in 2023, with 21 submissions received including from employer, trade union and civil society groups, which informed the development of the mid-term review of the Pathways to Work 2021–2025 strategy. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide detailed and updated information on the manner in which employers’ and workers’ organizations are consulted in relation to the development and implementation of employment service measures under the Convention.

Application of the Convention in practice. The Government indicates that there are 64 Intreo Centres located throughout the Country and that a list as well as a map of these Centres, with their associated local Branch Offices, may be found online (at www.gov.ie/Intreo). The Government further indicates that, in 2022, the Irish Government’s Public Employment Portal advertised 110,900 job vacancies, both on the national (JobsIreland.ie) and on the European (eures.europa.eu) portals. The Government does not provide information on the number of applications for employment received or the number of persons placed in employment by the public employment services and reiterates that the number of positions filled as a result of advertising on the Government’s Public Employment Portal is not known, given that in many cases employers use more than one channel to advertise vacancies. The Committee however considers that it is beneficial to implement a tracking mechanism of the number of applications for employment received and the number of persons placed in employment to better appreciate the effectiveness of the public employment services and improve if need be its services. In view of the above, the Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated practical information on the application of the Convention, including up-to-date information on the number and location of public employment offices operating in the country. The Committee also requests the Government to provide detailed information on the impact of the measures taken to promote full, productive and decent work, including statistical data on the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified, and the number of persons placed in employment by the public employment offices.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2016, published 106th ILC session (2017)

Articles 1 and 3. Organization of the public employment service. The Committee notes the information provided in the Government’s report, particularly the most recent Government strategy and action plan on labour market activation, Pathways to Work 2016–20, published in January 2016. The document indicates that the country’s unemployment rate dropped from 15 per cent at the height of the jobs crisis to a current overall unemployment rate of 8.8 per cent, and attributes a key role in this progress to the 2012–15 Pathways to Work strategy. According to information available on the Pathways to Work web page, employment is anticipated to grow by 80,000 jobs between 2015 and 2017 and the unemployment rate is predicted to fall to 8 per cent by 2017. The 2016 Pathways to Work strategy and action plan builds on the five strands of the policy set out in the Government’s 2012 Pathways to Work policy document, and adds a sixth strand: (1) enhanced engagement with unemployed people of working age; (2) increase the employment focus of activation programmes and opportunities; (3) making work pay – incentivize the take-up of opportunities; (4) incentivizing employers to offer jobs and opportunities to unemployed people; (5) building organization capability to deliver enhanced services to people who are unemployed; and (6) building workforce skills. The 2016 Pathways to Work document indicates that Strand 6 aims to ensure that large-scale and comprehensive reforms under way in the education and training sectors since the 2012 Pathways to Work, are closely aligned with the needs of employers, workers and jobseekers, to provide them with the skills, knowledge and competencies required to find and sustain employment. In this context, the Government refers to the Further Education and Training (FET) strategy (May 2014) and to the development of a new National Skills Strategy to be published in 2016, which will aim to identify and align the needs of industry with the skills of potential employees. The Committee notes that a number of actions have been taken or are envisaged to improve the provision of employment services, including Intreo, a service launched in 2012 by the Department of Social Protection, which aims to provide a single point of contact for all employment and income supports and offers services for both employers and jobseekers. There are 58 centres located throughout the country and three additional centres will open in 2016. The 2016 Pathways to Work also refers to measures to implement the strategy, including: efforts to improve schemes such as JobBridge and JobPath; a review of the EmployAbility scheme to increase uptake of services by persons with disabilities and the level of placements; and provision of employment, education and training programmes for long-term unemployed persons that are aligned to labour market needs. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information on the measures adopted by the public employment service to achieve the best possible organization of the employment market and to meet the needs of the economy and the active population and to provide information in its next report on the impact of such measures.

Article 4. Cooperation with the social partners. In response to the Committee’s request that the Government indicate the manner in which the representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations are consulted with respect to the implementation of employment service measures, the Government refers to the Labour Market Council, an independent group of industry leaders and labour market experts appointed by the Minister for Social Protection, to oversee the effective delivery of the Pathways to Work strategy. The Committee notes from the Council’s Interim Report that its purpose is to support the Government’s efforts to tackle unemployment and encourage employers to hire workers from the Live Register. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information on the manner in which the employers’ and workers’ organizations are consulted in relation to the development and implementation of employment service measures under the Convention.

Application of the Convention in practice. The Committee further notes the information provided by the Government in response to its request for practical information on the application of the Convention. The Government indicates that, in 2015, the Irish Government’s Public Employment Portal advertised 123,751 job vacancies. While employers advertise vacancies on the Portal, the number of applications they receive and the number of positions filled as a result of such advertisements is not known. Given that in many cases employers use more than one channel to advertise vacancies, the Government indicates that it is not possible to determine the number of applications and candidates placed that are due to advertisements placed on the Portal. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide practical information on the application of the Convention, including up-to-date statistical information on the number and location of public employment offices established and operating in the country, the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified, and the number of persons placed in employment by these offices.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2015, published 105th ILC session (2016)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that the next report will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous comments.

Repetition

The Committee notes the annual report of the National Training and Employment Authority (FAS) and the 2012 Pathways to Work policy document. The Government indicates that it moved the employment service to the Department of Social Protection, placing both unemployment benefits and the employment service under the direction of the same authority. The Government refers to a five-point policy on labour market activation: (1) greater engagement; (2) better targeting; (3) incentivizing the take-up of opportunities; (4) incentivizing employers to provide more jobs; and (5) reforming institutions. It also lists a series of programmes to be implemented in order to achieve its policy objectives: an improved case management system; probability of exit (PEX) profiling to improve targeting; improving data collection and evaluation; reforming social protection benefits and lowering the VAT rates for labour-intensive sectors. The Government further refers to training, internship and support schemes aimed at aligning the active population with the needs of the economy. The Government indicates that FAS met its employment output targets in 2011 with over 163,000 people benefiting from training and employment support schemes. It further breaks down the number of training participants across a range of employment-related programmes. Overall, the Government reports that in 2011 there were 84,000 new registrations of jobseekers and the number of referrals by the Department of Social Protection to employment services was just over 121,000. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information on the measures adopted by the public employment service to achieve the best possible organization of the employment market and to meet the needs of the economy and the active population (Articles 1 and 3 of the Convention). It further invites the Government to provide information on the manner in which the representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations are consulted with respect to the implementation of employment service measures (Article 4). The Committee also asks that the Government continue to provide practical information on the application of the Convention, such as up-to-date statistical information on the number of public employment offices established, the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified, and the number of persons placed in employment by such offices in each region of the country.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

The Committee notes the Government’s report received in December 2012, including the annual report of the National Training and Employment Authority (FAS) and the 2012 Pathways to Work policy document. The Government indicates that it moved the employment service to the Department of Social Protection, placing both unemployment benefits and the employment service under the direction of the same authority. The Government refers to a five-point policy on labour market activation: (1) greater engagement; (2) better targeting; (3) incentivizing the take-up of opportunities; (4) incentivizing employers to provide more jobs; and (5) reforming institutions. It also lists a series of programmes to be implemented in order to achieve its policy objectives: an improved case management system; probability of exit (PEX) profiling to improve targeting; improving data collection and evaluation; reforming social protection benefits and lowering the VAT rates for labour-intensive sectors. The Government further refers to training, internship and support schemes aimed at aligning the active population with the needs of the economy. The Committee notes the statistics provided by the Government with respect to the employment service activity. In particular, the Government indicates that FAS met its employment output targets in 2011 with over 163,000 people benefiting from training and employment support schemes. It further breaks down the number of training participants across a range of employment-related programmes. Overall, the Government reports that in 2011 there were 84,000 new registrations of jobseekers and the number of referrals by the Department of Social Protection to employment services was just over 121,000. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information on the measures adopted by the public employment service to achieve the best possible organization of the employment market and to meet the needs of the economy and the active population (Articles 1 and 3 of the Convention). It further invites the Government to provide information on the manner in which the representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations are consulted with respect to the implementation of employment service measures (Article 4). The Committee also asks that the Government continue to provide practical information on the application of the Convention, such as up-to-date statistical information on the number of public employment offices established, the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified, and the number of persons placed in employment by such offices in each region of the country (Part IV of the report form).

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2012, published 102nd ILC session (2013)

The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It must therefore repeat its previous observation, which read as follows:

Repetition

The Committee notes that the Government’s last report was provided in October 2005. Following the deterioration that took place in the employment situation since 2008, the Committee invites the Government to provide information on the measures adopted by the public employment service to achieve the best possible organization of the employment market and to meet the needs of the economy and the active population (Articles 1 and 3 of the Convention). It also invites the Government to provide relevant information concerning the number of public employment offices established, the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified, and the number of persons placed in employment by such offices in each region of the country (Part IV of the report form).

The Committee hopes that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

The Committee notes that the Government’s last report was provided in October 2005. Following the deterioration that took place in the employment situation since 2008, the Committee invites the Government to provide information on the measures adopted by the public employment service to achieve the best possible organization of the employment market and to meet the needs of the economy and the active population (Articles 1 and 3 of the Convention). It also invites the Government to provide relevant information concerning the number of public employment offices established, the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified, and the number of persons placed in employment by such offices in each region of the country (Part IV of the report form).

[The Government is asked to reply in detail to the present comments in 2012.]