THE Tanaiste, Ms Harney, has unemployment revised her target for the unemployment rate from seven per cent to five per cent of the labour force over the next two years.

Speaking in Limerick, she said that the nationwide Employment Action Plan, implemented from September 1st, is already achieving significant results in addressing the problem of joblessness among under 25s. The new policy approach involves a more active approach from the employment services in trying to help the unemployed find work. She said that 852 young people had been referred to FAS during September and 41 per cent of these, or 345, have now left the live register.

Of these, 51 per cent (454) were interviewed and 25 per cent, or 112, are in jobs or training, 17 per cent, or 78, were referred to training for employment, and 34 per cent, or 158, continued to receive intensive support from a FAS case officer, while 44 per cent did not attend for interview, of whom 44 per cent left the live register.

The most recent CSO data suggests that "we are already making significant progress towards achieving our ambition of full employment", said the Tanaiste, who confirmed that she was proceeding to implement the Action Plan for over 25-year-olds from early in the new year. She said that she has secured an additional £500,000 for FAS to enable them to employ more placement officers.

In addition to the £416 million welfare-to-work package in her department's estimates for 1999, the Tanaiste also announced a further welfare-to-work measures for which the Budget provided an extra £14 million as part of her overall jobs strategy - £2.5 million to facilitate 4,800 new Jobs Club places for the long-term unemployed; £4.35 million for 1,500 new places on bridging programmes for the long-term employed; £4.9 million to create 875 new places on the Jobs Initiative; £1.8 million to create 800 new places on a special tailored training programme for lone parents; and £0.2 million to facilitate the provision of 400 new Jobs Club places for lone parents in the FAS regions of Dublin North and Dublin West.

The Tanaiste announced details of a further £15 million that she secured in the Budget for new enterprise centres and for up-grading FAS centres in urban areas of high long-term unemployment.