Should the Long Term Unemployed Clean Our Streets? Episode 866

In this episode, Niall Boylan speaks to Daily Mail journalist Ken Murray about a controversial proposal from Reform UK that would force some long term welfare claimants to carry out 20 hours of community work every week in order to continue receiving their benefits.

Under Reform UK’s proposed Welfare to Work scheme, people who have been unemployed for more than a year and are considered fit to work could be required to carry out unpaid community work or face sanctions on their benefits. Suggested jobs include cleaning high streets, maintaining parks, working in libraries, carrying out council house repairs and helping charities, with claimants receiving £30 a week towards expenses. Reform argues that more than 330,000 Universal Credit claimants who are capable of working have been unemployed for over a year.

Could something similar work in Ireland?

The latest CSO unemployment figures estimate that 149,900 people were unemployed in July 2026, giving Ireland an unemployment rate of 5.1%. Youth unemployment was considerably higher at 12.3%.

Separate Live Register figures give an indication of the number of people claiming Jobseeker related payments. In June 2026, the seasonally adjusted Live Register stood at 172,600, while 54,477 people had been continuously registered for a year or longer. The number of Jobseeker’s Allowance claims was also up 3.4% compared with the previous year.

So should people who have been unemployed for a prolonged period and are capable of working be expected to give something back to the community in return for their welfare payment?

Supporters might argue that if taxpayers are supporting somebody financially, asking that person to spend part of their week cleaning streets, maintaining parks, helping community organisations or carrying out other useful work is hardly unreasonable. It could provide routine, experience and a pathway back into employment.

Critics will see it very differently. Ireland has been here before with schemes such as JobBridge, which became heavily criticised over concerns about the quality of some placements and whether employers were benefiting from subsidised labour rather than creating properly paid jobs. Youth organisations reviewing JobBridge called for significant reform and questioned whether it always provided genuine progression into secure employment.

And that raises the central question: is asking someone to work 20 hours for their welfare payment a reasonable contribution to society, or is it effectively creating a pool of cheap or unpaid labour?

Would councils stop employing cleaners, maintenance workers and other properly paid staff if welfare recipients could carry out the work instead? Would it create a race to the bottom in wages? Or have we reached the point where someone who is capable of working but remains on welfare for years should be expected to contribute something in return?

Niall and Ken debate whether Ireland should consider its own version of Reform UK’s proposal and ask listeners the simple but highly divisive question: Should unemployed people be forced to work for their dole?