In light of the recent publication of the worrying OECD report, Fianna Fáil Senator Thomas Byrne has called on the Government to wake up from its complacency over the jobs crisis.
“Earlier this year, I voiced my concern about the fact that the IDA did not visit Co. Meath at all last year. Considering both the levels of unemployment in the county as well as the availability of services and skilled staff, I felt that this was unacceptable” explained Senator Byrne.
“Now we have an OECD report which highlights deeply worrying levels of long-term unemployment and youth unemployment. There are a string of recommendations in this report that were also made in the last OECD report, in relation to better targeting of support for enterprise, the design of education courses and reforms to make the economy work more efficiently. But the Government has failed to take any meaningful action on these and progress has been scant or non-existent.
“When one considers the inaction on behalf of both the Government and IDA combined with the findings of the OECD, it is no surprise there is such a jobs crisis in Meath East and indeed across the whole country.
“We currently have a part-time Minster for Jobs as he oversees Fine Gael’s campaign to abolish the Seanad. But as this OECD report demonstrates, we cannot afford any more lost time and a continued lack of focus when it comes to tackling the jobs crisis,” Senator Byrne concluded.