Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I note the release of the results of the labour force survey for quarter 3 of 2018, as issued by the Central Statistics Office on 20 November 2018. Overall, the quarter 3 results are very positive. Figures show that employment continues to grow strongly, with 66,700 jobs created throughout the State in the year from quarter 3 of 2017 to quarter 3 of 2018. This brings total number of people in employment to 2.273 million.

In the west in the year to quarter 3 of 2018, an extra 5,100 people were in employment. In the same period, there were 1,100 fewer people unemployed in the region. Since the launch of the regional action plan for jobs in 2015, there was an increase of 28,400 people in employment throughout the west from quarter 1 of 2015 to quarter 3 of 2018. In the same period, the unemployment rate in the west fell from 12.6% to 6.6%.

There are 16 IDA Ireland client companies operating in County Mayo, employing a total of 4,462 people. I am pleased to say that employment in IDA Ireland-supported companies in Mayo has increased year on year since 2012, with an almost 26% increase in foreign direct investment employment from 2012 to 2017.

The IDA continues to highlight the benefits of expanding or locating in County Mayo to multinational companies. As part of its regional property programme, the IDA has constructed an advance building in Castlebar which is being actively marketed to IDA Ireland clients through its network of offices in Ireland and overseas.

Enterprise Ireland is also working to support job creation in County Mayo in assisting entrepreneurs who are setting up start-up companies in manufacturing and internationally traded services. Enterprise Ireland is also focusing on the creation of new jobs through continuing to work with established companies in its client portfolio in the county. There were 115 Enterprise Ireland client companies in County Mayo, employing 4,118 people in 2017. In the period 2015 to 2017, Enterprise Ireland paid approximately €8 million to support the enterprise development of its client companies in County Mayo.

In addition, with the support of Údarás na Gaeltachta, a total of 60 new jobs were created in the Mayo Gaeltacht in 2017.

This amounted to a net increase of eight jobs on the previous year and means there were 648 full-time jobs in Údarás na Gaeltachta client companies in the Mayo Gaeltacht at the end of the year.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

Work is ongoing across Government Departments and agencies to deliver on the Government's commitment to secure quality and sustainable employment in the regions and build on the upward trend in employment figures that we saw in the recent labour force survey for quarter 3 of 2018.

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