Begg Critical of Job Subsidies

David Begg of ICTU has responded to Sarah Carey’s article on job subsidies.  The essence of his reply is twofold.  First, he also thinks it’s a bad plan. He writes that

Carey is correct to point out that a “jobs subsidy scheme” of the nature she outlined would be disastrous. It would be a waste of vital taxpayers’ funds, it would do nothing to ease the jobs crisis and, of course, it would be wide open to corruption and abuse.

Second, the plan wasn’t his idea:

Unfortunately, where she went wrong was in attributing such an initiative to congress. The truth is that precisely this approach has been repeatedly proposed by employer and business groups. We have opposed such feckless initiatives from the outset.

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Legal challenge to cancelled retirement scheme

I have previously discussed on this blog whether groups disadvantaged by fiscal policy cutbacks might seek to protect their position by means of a legal challenge using the concept of ‘legitimate expectations’ (see also a revised version of this post in the Irish Times). It looks like we may get further clarification of this issue in a High Court case which is being taken by four secondary school teachers who are challenging the government’s suspension of an early retirement scheme.

Apparently, the scheme was due to run until the end of this year and counsel for the teachers, Gerard Hogan SC, is claiming that they were legitimately entitled to expect to avail of it.

The court’s decision will clarify whether other groups adversely affected by a policy cutback might seek to go the legal route to attempt to reverse it.

Lunn on Public Sector Reform

Pete Lunn of the ESRI has an interesting article in today’s Times about public sector reform.  Pete is sceptical aout the effectiveness of rigorously enforced targets for public service organisations and performance management for individuals.  I think these arguments are worth discussing further.  (Certainly, Tony Blair’s attempt to impose performance targets on the NHS didn’t seem to be very effective.)

I would guess, however, that whatever the merits of explicit targets and serious performance monitoring, the govenment will probably do well to get the public sector unions to agree to what Pete notes are the “straightforwardly sensible” reforms such as “developing more online services, sharing resources across public organisations, allowing freer movement of staff and, perhaps especially, basing promotion solely on merit.”

One example of this type of rigidity that prevails in the public sector is that there is little room for well qualified economists to join the civil service in the middle-ranking jobs that would be appropriate for them.  More generally, the “generalist” philosophy of the civil service often doesn’t sit well with the employment of staff who want a career as a specialist in a particular technical area.

Carey on Job Subsidies

Sarah Carey has an article in today’s Irish Times which follows up on the discussions on this site about job subsidies.

Light at the end of the Tunnel?

The June Live Register figures have been released today. While no doubt the journalists will mainly focus on the new peak in the numbers “signing on”, I think it is worth drawing attention to the rate at which the increase in the seasonally adjusted numbers (both males and females) is falling.
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