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Welfare officials sent 13,000 letters to jobseekers last year – encouraging them to take up work abroad, it has emerged.

The Department of Social Protection confirmed those on the dole were advised of employment in places like Germany, Spain and Norway.

The practice was defended by Minister Joan Burton who said it was a Europe-wide initiative that had been in place since 1993 and aims to “assist jobseekers to take up employment in other EU countries”.

She said: “Under the initiative, the Department of Social Protection informs jobseekers in Ireland of such job opportunities in the wider European labour market which may be of interest to them.

“Any such employment opportunities brought to the attention of jobseekers by the Department of Social Protection outside of Ireland are completely voluntary and people who do not avail of any such opportunities will not lose their social welfare entitlements here.

“It is an opportunity for jobseekers in Ireland to seek work in other EU countries in the wider European market and equally, it provides jobseekers abroad with an opportunity to find work with companies based here in Ireland where such vacancies cannot be filled by jobseekers in Ireland.”

Up to 5,000 letters were sent to people regarding the German Apprenticeship Programme and 363 for IT and Engineer jobs.

(Image: Photocall Ireland)

The Department also distributed 2,500 letters for vacancies in Jaguar Land Road in the UK while 200 were sent for openings in Norway.

The figures released to this paper do not paint a full picture because the European Employment Service only covers European countries.

It does not take into consideration the letters that may have been sent advising of work in Australia, America, Canada or New Zealand.

The Department said they do not keep account of how many people applied for the jobs or how many, if any, got work from the service.

The 13,283 letters are a massive jump on 2013 when just 4,000 such letters were sent to those on the dole.

The practice has been widely slammed by opposition TDs with Pearse Doherty releasing one of the letters sent to a constituent of his.

It offered that person a job as a bus driver in Malta which advised them of the low tax rates in Europe and the climate is “typically Mediterranean”.