Minister Micheál Martin Launches Fás Jobs Ireland Programme

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment today (Thursday 26^th January 2006) launched the FÁS Jobs Ireland Programme for Employers. This is a unique programme that will deliver a very comprehensive, fast and efficient recruitment service to the business community.

“As we all know, the Irish economy continues to grow at a phenomenal rate and that rate can only be sustained if we are able to manage our labour market effectively. One of the biggest challenges we face is finding better ways of filling vacancies with suitably qualified staff”, the Minister said.

“The new FÁS Employment Services Programme aims to build relationships with employers and job seekers through its ‘outreach’ approach, as well as by job matching. Regular contact with local employers by employment service officers (ESOs) will allow FÁS to build long term relationships with companies and help assess ongoing needs. Likewise it can allow ESOs to anticipate employers’ needs to identify potential candidates for jobs from the FÁS database” said Minister Martin.

Access for employers, and job seekers, has been made extremely easy with a simple process of registration by Freefone. Employers can also register online, while job seekers can post their CVs and other relevant information about their suitability for particular types of vacancy.

Such an approach will also help FÁS fulfill another important part of its remit, namely its duties under the National Employment Action Plan and its responsibilities to disadvantaged groups trying to access the labour market. With this in mind it has continually reviewed and improved programmes that allow groups such as early school leavers, older workers made redundant and women returners, to enter our modern jobs market.

Overall FÁS provides a vital link in managing labour market growth in ways that benefit employers and job seekers alike. The new Employment Services Programme to Employers offers:

• A register of job seekers
• A databank of vacancies
• A job matching service for employers
• A National Contact Centre for employers and job seekers
• A wide distribution of job vacancy information to job seekers throughout Ireland
• Access to the wider EU and EEA labour market through Eures
• Self-service access to information on line for both employers and job seekers
• Follow through support and assistance to employers
• Information on wage rates, availability of different skills, grants and supports.

One reason is FÁS realises that, for most employers, the key ingredient to successful recruitment policy is finding the most suitable candidate for each post. It may seem blindingly obvious but it can also be an extremely difficult policy to implement. The alternative to good job matching is high staff turnover. This can be costly, disruptive and bad for morale. The cost of filling vacant staff positions can often be up to three times the annual salary that goes with the post.

Besides, developing good relations with employers and understanding their precise needs creates the goodwill and provides the local knowledge needed to transform vague aspirations to help others into specific opportunities for doing so.

An important spin-off benefit of such a proactive approach to employer services is that FÁS personnel can encourage best practice generally within companies and promote the agency’s wider agenda in areas such as the promotion of productivity and competitiveness through training courses and the FÁS ‘Excellence Through People’ programme.

The Minister acknowledged the input into this programme by the Director General, the board of FÁS, the FÁS staff and unions. “It shows that the partnership model embraced by the agency can deliver for business, just as it does for job seekers and the other client groups of the agency”, concluded Minister Martin.

ENDS

ETE 1507