Sinn Féin’s proposal to increase jobseeker’s allowance by €50 a week in the next budget will drive up inflation, Senator Sharon Keogan has told Gript.
The comments were made during an exclusive interview this week, following a tweet reacting to Sinn Féin’s proposal.
“Why should we give €50 a week to jobseekers?” the Senator tweeted.
“So many employers looking for staff. They should all have to do community work if this payment is given.”
She included the hashtags “#IncentiveNotToWork,” “#ActiveCitizens” and “#JobVacancies” with a screenshot of CSO unemployment figures.
So many volunteer organisation or clubs in the country struggle to get volunteers. This encourages participation in society. It gives purpose. It's healthy mentally for people.
Thousands of jobseekers are on this payment longterm. That is not good for anyone.— Senator Sharon Keogan (@SenatorKeogan) August 15, 2022
Speaking to Gript following the tweet, the Senator emphasised that she was not talking about disability benefit or any other state payments for those in serious need, but rather for those who are capable of working but are long-term unemployed.
“There are almost 200,000 people at the moment in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance,” she said.
“Many of those are long-term unemployed. And if they are going to be getting an increase in payment, by all means, they should be doing something for it.
“The only way for jobseekers to encourage people back into the workforce is to allow them to do community service. They must be able to participate in society.
“I’ve employed many people in community schemes in the past, who have gone on successfully to either get apprenticeships or to get full-time employment. It’s a good way of instilling a work ethic in some people, and also it supports community organisations who are struggling constantly to get volunteers.”
The senator added that the Sinn Féin proposal was bound to have a negative impact on the inflation crisis.
“Increasing jobseeker’s allowance is just going to drive up inflation,” she said.
“I mean, the government and Sinn Féin need to be looking at ways that we can drive down and prices. Putting more money into people’s pockets is not going to drive down inflation.”
She said that while it was good that supports were in place for those who were less well off, many schemes forget those who are in employment.
“There are a lot of supports at this moment in time to support people who are not working,” she said.
“To support people who are marginalised or disadvantaged. There are a lot of schemes there that they can tap into. Whereas we have a working poor – people where both partners are working 40 hours a week. And yet they can’t make ends meet trying to pay their mortgage, trying to pay for fuel, trying to pay for insurance and so on.”
She said that she had spoken to people who earn only slightly more from working than they would from jobseekers’, leading them to conclude that working doesn’t make sense.
“We have to account for that,” she said.
“So we’re going to have to look at ways we can incentivize people to work and be able to pay the bills.”
She concluded: “The Budget should look after the working man and woman.”