Presentation by Kathy Walsh, KW Research and Associates, Ireland. 9th Annual Meeting of the OECD LEED Forum on Partnerships and Local Governance (Dublin-Kilkenny, Ireland), 26/27 March 2013. http://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/9thfplgmeeting.htm

1. 9th Annual Meeting
IMPLEMENTING CHANGE:
A NEW LOCAL AGENDA FOR
JOBS AND GROWTH
In co-operation with the EU Presidency, Irish Government and Pobal
26-27 March 2013, Dublin-Kilkenny, Ireland
PLENARY SESSION II: LOCAL EMPLOYMENT STRATEGIES IN RURAL AREAS
Kathy Walsh
KW Research and Associates, Ireland

2. Employment and Unemployment
in an Irish Rural Context
Dr. Kathy Walsh
OECD Conference
Kilkenny, 27th March 2013

3. Study Purpose
 Examine nature and issues of employment,
unemployment & social inclusion in rural areas
(esp. since 2008).
 Make recommendations to address issues
 Study undertaken jointly with Brian Harvey.
Focus of this presentation:
Employment & Unemployment

4. Content
 Study purpose
 Methodology
 Findings
 Recommendations

5. Study Methodology
 Use of various definitions/approaches to defining
‘rural’
(including a new approach based on various
settlement size (<3,000, 3,000- 5,000 & > 5,000)
 Analysis
of the newly-available 2011 census data
and other data
 Consultations with key stakeholders

6. Rural Findings
Definitions and Policies

7. What is Rural?
No single agreed definition (39%- 59% RoI)
Most of us believe we know what it is......
Population density, land use, settlements patterns,
distance from urban centres

8. Rural Definitions?
 Irish Central Statistics Office aggregate rural areas as
a ‘statistical concept where people reside outside
clusters (with legally defined boundaries) of 1,500 or
more inhabitants’ (38%)
 OECD: rural if the population is less than 150
persons/km2 and classifies regions as Predominantly
Rural (PR), Intermediate (IR) and Predominantly Urban
(PU).
 EU Survey of Income and Living Conditions has 8
sampling categories (from open countryside, towns
under 1,000 to the greater Dublin Area).

9. Rural Definitions?
 > 1,500 too narrow a focus – need an enlarged lens.
What was possible, ultimately developed based on
settlement size (<3,000, 3,000- 5,000 & > 5,000)

10. Rural Findings (1)
 Definitions of rural currently very narrow
 Irish rural policy is out of date
 Enhancing our future, 1999
 Rural initiatives (Rural Social Scheme/Rural Transport
Programme) – but not policies
 Need for a statement of basis for rural policy
 E.g. Future of Rural Society (Commission, 1988)
 Equivalence principle

11. Rural Findings (2)
Absence of rural policy focus
 Many national policies
documents have no rural
sections or only passing
mention
- Action Plan for Jobs,
- National Skills Strategy,
- Enterprise Strategy,
- Ministerial briefings 2011
Absence of rural proofing
 ‘Rural’ has slipped down policy
hierarchy

12. Findings
Employment & Unemployment

13. Rural Employment Previously
Main sources of rural employment were:
Agriculture, Natural Resources, Construction (boosted
particularly in the 2000’s), Small scale manufacturing
and Public services.
Economic Crises (2008-)
 Unemployment 4.7% -2007 to 14.6% -2012
 Long-term unemployment 1.3% -2007 to 8.4% -2012
 Substantial out-migration affecting
 Under-employment 22.7%, the third highest in the
EU
 % young people not in Employment, Education or
Training (NEET) the third highest in EU

14. Data - Rural Employment/Unemployment
 Hard to Locate
• Live Register Bulletins (monthly) measure of
standardised unemployment rate
• Quarterly National Household Bulletin (by sector
to NUTS III level but no rural/urban breakdown)
• Regional Labour Market Bulletins (FÁS)
 Need to find ways to apply a rural lens – use CSO
2011 Small Area Census data on unemployment &
labour force participation (with the support of
National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis
(NIRSA) at NUI Maynooth)

15. NUTS III Unemployment Figures (Census 2011)
NUTS III Total Settlements Settlements Settlements
level 5,000+ 3000-5,000 <3,000
Border 23% 26% 28% 21%
Midland 22% 27% 29% 19%
West 19% 20% 16% 18%
Dublin 17% 17% 17% 15%
Mid-East 18% 18% 18% 18%
Mid-West 20% 25% 0% 17%
South East 22% 25% 26% 19%
South West 17% 19% 19% 15%
• Rural unemployment lowest,
• 3-5,000 settlements surprisingly high unemployment in some regions.
• Caution: The issue of underemployment not considered in Census figures

16. Unemployment/Employment Supports
 Activation
policies and
programmes
 Many and varied (Back-to-Work
schemes, Back-to- education courses, short-
term enterprise allowance scheme, Tús, the
Rural Social Scheme, Community
Employment, etc.).
 Do not match scale of problem
 Have a number of general
problems,(underinvestment, the
prioritizing of control and lack of
progression)
 Not adapted to rural situations.
Some issues are more challenging

17. Employment Policies/Directions
 Convergence about what should be done
 Between Ireland and Europe
 Between NGOs and government
 Main activities identified as:
 Investment in infrastructure, public services
 Green jobs (agrifood, farmer markets, social
farming, organic, etc), low carbon economy
(biofuels, wind, wave)
 Targeted assistance for SMEs, micro-
enterprise, social enterprise
 Up-skilling right through to upper age range
 Rural, heritage, eco-tourism

18. Employment/Unemployment Trends
 Ireland lags behind Europe in key
areas
 E.g. organics, biomass, nature
protection, renewables
 Example inappropriately applied e.g.
wind
 Missed opportunities e.g. heritage
tourism, wave, Groundwork type
improvements
 Role of the state: over reliant on
private sector to create work in rural
areas. Overlooks potential for state
to create work directly & provide
more effective support for SME’s.

19. Employment Opportunities
 Need more effective development of
- Social enterprise (0.68% v 6% EU)
- Apprenticeship training, (only 1,400 places)
 Need to re-affirm role of community development
 It was a major driver of employment in rural Ireland post
1980’s
 Since then, investment fallen 42%, increasing concerns
about its future because of proposed alignment process.

20. Rural Policy
Recommendations

21. Rural Recommendations
Definitions of Rural
Need a broader definition of ‘rural’ that values the
close linkages between open countryside and small
towns and villages that service these areas. Need to
look at particular employment needs of settlements of
3000-5,000.
Rural Policy
 Development of a new rural vision, setting down the
rationale for investing in and redefining ‘rural’.
 Application of rural proofing, enforced by a Rural
Policy Implementation Group
 Application of the European policy menu in those
areas where Ireland lags

22. Recommendations
Rural Employment &
Unemployment

23. Employment/Unemployment
Recommendations:
 Better adaptation of activation to the rural, refocusing
resources to intensive support and outreach,
investment in childcare, transport & progression.
 Reinvestment in apprenticeships for the new jobs
already identified as appropriate for rural areas.
 Investment in the social economy in the rural
economy, with a strategy for its development and a
national support unit.
 Re-affirm value of community development. Operation
of European ‘Community Led Local Development
Programme as a global grant (2014-2020).

24. Thank You for Listening