High number of Clare men unemployed

A COMPREHENSIVE jobs training programme is needed to tackle the high percentage of men in Clare between the ages of 25 and 45 who are unemployed, according to a Mid-West economist.

In an analysis of the decline in the Clare economy since 2007, Dr Stephen Kinsella has warned that one of the biggest challenges facing the county is the need to address the number of males in this particular age bracket, who are out of work on a long-term basis. He pointed to the problem of long-term unemployment for men in the 25 to 45 age category as being particularly bad in Ennis.
Given the skills shortage and labour demand in certain sectors, the University of Limerick-based economist has asked the Government to provide a targeted training programme.
Having analysed various economic statistics, Dr Kinsella also concluded that males, aged 25 to 45, have been the worst hit by the collapse in construction, services and tourism-related enterprises.
In fact, he revealed the number of males unemployed in the Mid-West is 28% compared to the national rate of 14.2%.
In a wide-ranging presentation to the Clare County Enterprise Board recently, he stated no job in the Clare tourism sector was advertised on one of the main recruitment websites Irishjobs.ie for the first nine months of this year.
Dr Kinsella expressed concern about the number of small development agencies in the county and suggested they should be amalgamated to create local indigenous industry with a proper budget of possibly up to €1 million.
He pointed out there are too many enterprise agencies in the county with a few executives and an overall budget of €200,000, which is not enough to make a major dent in the unemployment problem.
Clare Enterprise Board chairman, Eamonn Kelly outlined the board is supporting about 30 projects, creating about 90 jobs, for an average investment of between €15,000 and €20,000.
Mr Kelly said there is a need for a more substantial investment in the indigenous sector to generate more sustainable jobs in the local economy.
Stressing the importance of Shannon Airport as a key driver of development in the region, he called on the Government to introduce a package of measures to increase the number of flights and airlines using Shannon, as catering and jobs in the service industry rely heavily on the number of tourists arriving through the airport.
Following major infrastructure developments, including the Ennis and Newmarket bypasses, one of the biggest tourism challenges is to get visitors to stay much longer in the county, he said.
Irish Hotels Federation Shannon branch president, Michahotels and tourism-related enterprises are not taking on the same number of staff in recent years as they had done previously.
However, Mr Vaughan noted the fact that local accommodation providers are not advertising jobs on IrishJobs.ie didn’t reflect the true position, as a lot of hotels and restaurants don’t use this method, opting instead to advertise seasonal jobs on their own websites and through informal networks such as the Irish Restaurant Association.
Asked about the effectiveness of the Government’s stimulus package for tourism introduced earlier this year, Mr Vaughan admitted it didn’t result in a major increase in tourism-related business.
He explained the VAT reduction and other measures were introduced late in the tourism season and predicted the full benefits, particularly in relation to pre-booked tours, would be seen next year.
However, he pointed to the new intern scheme, which helped Fáilte Ireland to recruit a lot of marketing graduates, who are engaged in an overseas marketing drive.
With most of the tourism enterprises in Clare employing 10 people or less, he outlined the county does not have large businesses that can create a significant amount of tourism jobs in the long term.
One of the key growth areas identified by a Shannon Airport sub-committee is the huge potential to increase the number of flights coming into Ireland from central European countries such as Germany, France and Holland.
Tourism agencies have reported a demand for up to 25 tourist flights a week out of Germany and Mr Vaughan stressed the real challenge facing Shannon Airport is its ability to attract flights from Central Europe into the Shannon Region.