Debate contribution: 'Good Jobs' Employment Rights Bill
Debate contribution by Mr Conor Murphy on .
- MLA
- Mr Conor Murphy
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 20 January 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- 'Good Jobs' Employment Rights Bill
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4744756
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The Member's point is a critical one, because we have a situation in which there are very high levels of employment and low levels of unemployment, yet economic inactivity remains at a high level — I think that we said 26·5% — on average across the North. The further north and west that one goes, the percentage goes up.
Given the restrictions of Brexit, the ability to attract foreign labour is restricted. Regardless, we have an obligation to work with people who are trying to find their way back into the employment market to give them the support that they need. A lot of the organisations that were involved previously relied on European funding, such as the European social fund (ESF) and the European regional development fund (ERDF). They then relied on the Shared Prosperity Fund, which brought them close to a cliff edge. We are now told that Shared Prosperity funding will continue for one more year but at a reduced amount. We have been trying to ascertain the level of support in that respect. Those organisations are critical in terms of their experience, their know-how, their record in working with people who are far removed from the labour market and their knowledge of the steps that are necessary to bring people back in and then, hopefully, on to other skills organisations, such as our colleges and universities. We will continue to press the case in relation to the Shared Prosperity Fund to get an understanding. If the programmes are not funded, those who provide them and those who benefit from them and rely on them will be in a difficult situation. We will continue to try to get a handle on that.
284 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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