Some 249 out of 270 actions under the Irish Government’s Action Plan for Jobs have been implemented and 12,000 private-sector jobs have been created in the past year, the country’s Jobs Minister Richard Bruton, TD, said this morning.
When the economic crisis hit Ireland and the rest of the world in 2008, Ireland was hit hard and up to March 2011 an estimated 250,000 jobs were lost in the private sector.
Bruton said that while a long road lies ahead, jobs policies are beginning to bear fruit and some 12,000 private-sector jobs were generated in the last year.
Since the start of 2011, there has been a net growth of more than 15,000 jobs in the exporting sectors.
This contrasts with the 45,000 jobs that were lost in the exporting sector between 2008 and 2010.
Ireland’s Taoiseach Enda Kenny, TD, said getting Ireland working in is the top priority for Government.
“The Action Plan for Jobs 2012 supported the transition from the old, failed economy based on property, banking and debt to a new, sustainable economy based on exports, innovation and enterprise. While there is still much to do we are on the right track to recovery with private-sector job creation increasing once again,” Kenny said.
No big bang solution
In a new departure for Government in the Republic of Ireland, a joint taskforce was established between the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Jobs and in February 2012 an action plan for jobs was embarked upon with the objective of supporting a net increase in employment of 100,000 by 2016.
Bruton said this morning that this type of open and accountable governance – which had been absent for years and led to an “implementation deficit disorder” – is bearing fruit for a nation that has been put through the mill.
“Almost a year ago, the Government outlined the first instalment in our plan to rebuild the economy and create the jobs we need,” Bruton said.
“As we said at that time, there will be no ‘big bang’ solution to the employment crisis, what is needed is determined action across Government to implement the hundreds of reforms necessary to drive the transition to a new economy which can support the sustainable jobs we need.
“We outlined the 270 actions which we would implement in 2012 to start that process, and promised that we would be held to account in public on a quarterly basis on our record in delivering those actions,” Bruton said.
Among the measures delivered in 2012 are:
· €90m microfinance scheme to benefit 5,500 businesses, create 7,700 jobs
· €450m credit guarantee scheme to benefit 5,600 businesses, create 4,000 jobs
· €225m development capital scheme targeting investments of €2m-€5m in mid-sized companies
· New Potential Exporters Division established in Enterprise Ireland
· Measures to turn good ideas emerging from State-backed scientific research into more good jobs, including Research Prioritisation, a one-stop shop for commercialising ideas and new technology research centres
· Launch of the National Broadband Plan
· Allocation of €20m to a new education and training fund targeting the long-term unemployed
· Implementation of a series of pro-jobs tax measures
· Industry-led manufacturing body to drive creation of 20,000 new jobs
· Health Innovation Hub to drive collaboration between the health system and industry
· A cross-Government statement on the green economy with the potential to create 10,000 jobs
Job application image via Shutterstock
The issue of tapping into future skills pipelines to support the ICT and other growing industries in Ireland will be discussed at Silicon Republic’s Future Jobs Forum on 8 February in Dublin
