THE Irish Government has teamed up with the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) to create jobs in the construction industry in Ireland.
There are currently 57,000 people from the construction, woodwork, metal and related industries on Ireland’s Live Register - two thirds have been unemployed for over a year.
Speaking about the campaign, Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton said: "No sector saw the stark realities of the crash more clearly than construction.
"Restoring the sector to health will create a virtuous circle, whereby construction companies get the finance they need to build, construction workers are reemployed, and they build the homes that families need."
Latest figures show there are 116,700 people working in construction throughout Ireland, with employment in the industry growing by 13,100 last year.
But former construction workers continue to make up the largest segment of people on Ireland's Live Register, which on a monthly basis gauges the number of people registering for Unemployment Benefit or other statutory entitlements through the Department of Social and Family Affairs.
The aim of the new jobs campaign is to make employers throughout the construction industry aware of programmes available to help when hiring new employees, such as JobsPlus and JobBridge.
CIF Director General Tom Parlon said: "Unfortunately there continues to be far too many former construction workers on the Live Register.
"Some of these people have been out of work for several years, given the severe difficulties the industry went through.
"Now that our sector is starting to recover, we want to help do something about this problem and to help some of these people secure jobs."
In March 348,676 people were on the Live Register in Ireland – down 10.9 per cent or 42,556 on the same month last year.
The Tánaiste said: "Today’s figures are further evidence of the strength of the jobs-led recovery that is firmly under way. But we’ve much more to do.”
