The much-derided JobBridge is soon to be scrapped, according to the new Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar.
The scheme, which pays unemployed people an extra €52.50 on top of their dole if they agree to full time internship work, has been widely appreciated as blatant exploitation throughout its existence.
According to the official blurb, JobBridge’s goal was to ‘upskill’ those receiving social welfare payment, giving them a better chance to get full-time employment.
However, some companies took this as carte blanche to take on cheap labour to fullfill full time duties.
The program, which was introduced by Mr. Varadkar’s predecessor Joan Burton, saw about a third of the 46,500 people who signed up obtain full-time employment afterwards.
Mr. Varadkar has now commissioned a report to be produced on the current status of JobBridge. The scheme will likely be axed or replaced, pending the outcome of this report.