Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

What the Minister says is correct but, as Deputy Hogan pointed out, it is all very general. The loss of 200 jobs at APW Tallaght is part of the attrition of jobs from the low and semi-skilled sector in the economy. This is the real issue. Is the Minister aware that a large number of such jobs in the sector are hanging on by their fingertips? How is the Minister actively identifying those vulnerable jobs, some of which will go over the edge this year? How will he put in place a safety net to complete the upskilling of workers? There is a large tranche of companies where wages are a small proportion of profits. There is a larger cohort where wages are slightly larger but it is not as vulnerable. Then there is another cohort, approximately 25% of jobs, where wages are a significant proportion of profits. These need to be identified to ensure the agencies for which the Minister is responsible are active in preventing job losses by upskilling and preparing workers for the transition to this new type of employment he has described. What is the Minister doing to identify this and put in these supports?

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