2044. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps being taken by his Department to tackle the rising rate of youth unemployment. [61992/26]

According to the Labour Force Survey from the CSO, the youth unemployment rate stood at 13.2% in Q2 2026, unchanged from Q2 2025. Under Pathways to Work, the national employment services strategy, and through the Intreo network, my Department supports the Reinforced Youth Guarantee (RYG). The RYG is a EU-wide initiative that requires Member States to provide a quality offer of employment, education, apprenticeship or traineeship to those under the age of 30, within 4 months of becoming unemployed.

Under Pathways to Work a more intensive model of engagement with young people who are identified as being at greater risk of long-term unemployment has been implemented. The frequency of engagement with an Employment Personal Advisor or Job Coach has increased from once a month to once a fortnight in respect of these individuals.

There are a number of programmes in place to support young jobseekers. To break the cycle of “no experience, no work”, the Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP), is a 6-month work placement that both jobseekers and employers can benefit from. On the scheme, jobseekers work 30 hours per week with a participating employer, and complete 60 hours of training, with at least 20 hours of accredited or sector-specific training. The employer also provides a supervisor and a mentor for the participant.

Employers can benefit from the standard rate of the JobsPlus recruitment subsidy of €7,500 when they hire a jobseeker under 30 from the Live Register. In line with the RYG, early access has been granted to those under the age of 30, who can access the payment after 4 months on a qualifying payment.

The Department launched the Employment and Youth Engagement Charter in 2024, which calls on employers to sign up and support the employment of young people. Companies signed up to the Charter commit to providing supports such as coaching, motivational talks, CV assistance as well as hiring young people. The Charter also encourages employers to make use of the numerous employer supports on offer, such as briefings from Intreo employer relations teams and the JobsIreland recruitment platform, where employers can post vacancies for free. Over 300 employers have signed up to the Charter to date.

My Department is currently developing the successor strategy to Pathways to Work. Last year a wide-ranging public consultation process took place. Among the feedback received were the challenges and opportunities facing young people in the labour market. The successor Pathways to Work strategy will continue to focus on supporting young people as a priority cohort and support them in finding and sustaining quality employment.