Young people under 26 face â€œdisproportionate cutsâ€ after the Government on Tuesday announced cuts to dole for young people. Jobseeker's allowance for new applicants under the age of 25 and current recipients under 22 has been cut by â‚¬44 per week to â‚¬100. Anyone aged 26 and over will get the full â‚¬188 rate.

Eoin Dillon, an MA student in UCC denied that the cuts in social welfare for young people would act as an incentive to find work.

â€œIt's not an incentive when you are being punished; it's counter-productive,â€ he said. "They could have increased the â‚¬50 (for people on JobBridge) as a real incentive. â€œI think there might be political logic to it. They are incentivising people to move back in with their parents. It's not presenting a great future for young people,â€ he said. However he said that while the cuts would act as a stimulus to emigrate, only people with have enough money will be able to emigrate. â€œIt is an added incentive for those who have the money to leave.â€ Ireland already has one of the highest rates of youth unemployment in the EU, with 30 per cent of 15 to 24 year olds out of work compared to an average of 22.9 per cent across the EU. Fianna FÃ¡il leader MicheÃ¡l Martin said that the social welfare cuts are invitation for young people to emigrate.

â€œSlashing young people's income support makes it extremely difficult for them to live in this country. The Government has also failed miserably to implement labour activation measures that work. The obvious discrimination is galling,â€ he said.

Marie-Clare McAleer, senior research and policy advisor with the National Youth Council of Ireland condemned the cuts.

â€œOverall we feel that young people have been really targeted. Social welfare cuts are disproportionate and have made it increasingly harder for young people.

â€œThe message is that emigration is the only option for many young people and jobseekers in the absence of good training and job opportunities.

â€œThe cuts to young jobseekers are disproportionate and we have a high level of youth unemployment. They need support and cutting the supports does not help them,â€ she said.

Sinn FÃ©in Cork East TD Sandra McLellan describes the cuts as â€œcruel and punitiveâ€.

â€œI am quite certain that following this, many young people across East Cork and North Cork will be looking at flights to Perth, Melbourne London, and wherever else. It is not possible to survive on such a rate, and in particular it is very hard on young families.â€

NYCI director Mary Cunningham said â€œthe suggestion that young people are caught in a welfare trap where work is unattractive is belied by the reality that young people have in fact been hardest hit by this recessionâ€.

â€œOver 177,000 young people have emigrated since 2008 and youth unemployment today is at almost 29 per cent compared to just over 13 per cent in 2008. Ireland also has the fourth highest rate of young people 'not in education, employment or training' in the EU,â€ she said.

Education cuts

Ms Cunningham added: â€œWe agree with Minister Howlin that 'young people should be in education and training' however due to cuts and lack of investment there are not sufficient education and training places to meet the needs of young jobseekers. Young people can't take up training and education opportunities if they don't exist.â€

Sinn FÃ©in education spokesperson Deputy Jonathan O'Brien said cuts to education continued Government trend of targeting young people to carry debt burden.

â€œWhat is not contained in the budget today, is the multiannual announcements that were previously set out in other budgets such as the cuts to capitation grants by 1 per cent, and increases in student registration charges meaning that schools are going to find it even more difficult to balance budget and students will find it more difficult to complete third level education. The issue of voluntary contributions in schools still has not been tackled.

â€œThe student contribution fee will rise by â‚¬250 to â‚¬2,750 next year, and then to â‚¬3,000 the following year. FÃS apprentices will now have to pay â‚¬540 a year in contribution fees.â€