Analysis: Government’s new pathways to work strategy suggests a move towards a European-style welfare system

It is tempting for people to be cynical about employment initiatives, but many of the targets in previous strategies were achieved

Heather Humphreys, the Minister for Social Protection, was at pains to differentiate the government’s new Pathways to Work from the Jobbridge work placement scheme that was in place during the last downturn. Picture: Rollingnews.ie

The government’s new job recovery strategy is inevitably focused on dealing with the “aftershock” of the pandemic.

The Pathways to Work plan notes that over the past sixteen months, this country has experienced a labour market shock like no other

“Many people were temporarily laid-off work as a result of Covid-19. Many of these people have already returned to work, or will return in the near future. But for some people their old jobs are ...