Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Manufacturing is a key priority of enterprise policy. Employment in the sector makes up 64% of Enterprise Ireland supported jobs and over 50% of IDA supported jobs. Manufacturing employment grew by 1.1% in 2011, an increase of almost 2,200 jobs. This reverses a trend of four continuous years of job losses, when almost 45,000 jobs were lost in manufacturing. The bulk of the growth was in foreign owned industry but indigenous manufacturing also increased slightly with 92,507 employed by Irish owned companies. Employment growth in Irish manufacturing companies has been particularly strong in the life sciences, food and ICT sectors, and we must continue to develop these sectors.

Both Enterprise Ireland and the IDA are continuously developing policy interventions to support the development of manufacturing companies and under the action plan for jobs, we are rolling out measures to improve productivity, extend innovation, enhance management skills, develop collaboration in new technologies and enhance access to finance.

The action plan for jobs also included a series of actions for developing manufacturing and specific sectoral opportunities within it. I have established a manufacturing development forum to set out a strategic vision for 2020 aimed at increasing employment in the sector. Its membership comprises key industry players. At its first meeting in June, I asked the forum to identify impediments to job creation in manufacturing areas and opportunities for immediate job creation.

The work of the forum is being supplemented by further research on a long-term vision and strategic plan for manufacturing in Ireland’s economy and an assessment of manufacturing skills needs of the manufacturing sector building on previous sub-sectoral work. To date, the forum has drawn up a comprehensive schedule of challenges and opportunities facing manufacturing and members of the forum have participated in workshops organised by Forfás to further develop particular issues relevant to the sector. I expect some interim findings from the forum before the end of the year. It is intended to publish a strategic plan for the sector in the new year and my Department and agencies will then progress the actions identified. I am confident these measures, combined with other Government initiatives to improve competitiveness, will ensure Ireland is well positioned to build and maintain a strong base of manufacturing activity.

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