Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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13. To ask the Minister for Finance the way in which he and his Department intend to help ensure that employment growth continues, given the increased global uncertainty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28024/25]

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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21. To ask the Minister for Finance the measures being taken in his Department's annual progress report on the slowdown on job creation nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27804/25]

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate the Minister coming into the Chamber to deal with the responses to some of the genuine concerns that people have about the finances. I ask the Minister where he and his Department intend to ensure that employment growth continues, given the global uncertainty.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 21 together.

It is always a privilege to be here as regularly as I am to answer the important questions Deputies put to me and to respond to the Dáil. I want to highlight where we are from a jobs point of view in Ireland. It is a really positive development in our economy overall. Total employment in the last year alone went up by 90,000 people, with the total number of people at work in our country now exceeding 2.8 million. The unemployment rate now stands at 4%, while the number of women at work is at a record high. The number of young people at work within our economy is at a very high level as well. I am sure the Deputy will remember - I certainly do - other times when persistently high levels of unemployment in Ireland were an issue that government after government really struggled to make progress on. It was the subject of much debate, research and analysis, why unemployment was so high in Ireland and why we could not get it down, with all the social misery that was then caused by that. While I know there is still much that we need to improve on in our country, to see so many people at work is so important. Behind every one of those 2.8 million people is the dignity of being work, the reward you get from it and then the obvious contribution to your own living standards.

As to where we are and what that means for the global environment we are in, that is the main challenge the Government faces economically. Regrettably, the background that helped Ireland create that level of employment for those who live in our country was a consensus as regards the rules of global trade and global taxation, a belief that if we integrate with one another through trade, that can deliver mutually beneficial gains for economies by getting more people at work. The House will be well aware that that is now being contested and that President Trump is taking a very different view with regard to trade.

What we are now trying to do is, first, through the European Union, negotiate with the United States to see if we can get a different outcome and an agreement on this and, second, within our own economy, look at the measures we can take that will sustain these high levels of employment. I point to the work the Minister, Deputy Chambers, is now doing. He will be in here shortly after me to discuss the review of the national development plan. I point to the work the Minister, Deputy Burke, is doing on the competitiveness of our economy. That is hugely important. I recognise the work he is putting in, particularly in support of smaller businesses. Then there is the work the Minister, Deputy Lawless, is doing on higher and further education and how we can have the right level of skills within our economy and look to develop and to change that as technology begins to change our economies overall.

This high level of employment is a really precious gain in our economy overall. We have to look at the contribution that all agencies of our State can make to contribute to it. I see our colleague here, the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, who will talk about the Office of Public Works. That is an example of a State agency that plays a really important role in skill development within our economy and then direct employment. We need to look at all of this now when the global environment is beginning to change so much.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for a comprehensive response. No matter where you come from, there are, right around the island of Ireland, representatives like me who are concerned about the threat to any job, particularly in the more dispersed rural villages.

Everything the Minister for Finance can do would be much appreciated and is much needed. None of us was aware of what the volatile President Trump was about to do and the impact it would have on our economy. The Minister stated that there are 2.8 million people in employment and that the unemployment rate is 4%. That is resounding testament to how things are going in this country. I applaud the Minister for his continued and relentless efforts in that regard.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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We need to look at all policies available to the Government in order to see how to make more progress in this area. Having been out and about with the Deputy a number of months ago in many of the towns in the constituency he represents, I am aware of the variety of employers located there. Due to the fact that we now have such a diverse set of employers in Ireland, we need to take a step back and identify the broad things we can do to help them all. I am convinced that these continue to be: having a stable economy in which people have confidence and in which we can continue to invest; avoid significant cutbacks in or changes to how we spend the country's money; and looking at particular measures that will help the growth of various sectors, from tourism right through to the big employers that make such a difference to our country and that we are going to have to work hard to support.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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In east Galway, we are fortunate to have Dexcom. The company is at an advanced stage with its development in Athenry. It plans to employ many people there, which is really welcome. Most of us understand that some companies are better insulated against the proposed tariffs than others. I am heartened to hear the Minister's plans to safeguard employment and the measures he has taken or is considering to further ensure there is no threat to those in employment.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I agree with the Deputy. As he stated, this is an important achievement that the Government has to try to sustain. The Ireland in which I began my education did not have this level of employment. There is much we know we need to do better on and every TD on the Government benches is aware of the difficulties that we face and that we committed to trying to deal with. At the same time, having so many people at work is not only good for those in the jobs, it also creates the resources we need. Those resources, in turn, allow us to invest and spend. That is why the Government has number of decisions ahead of it. In that context, I refer to the work the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Deputy Chambers is doing in respect of the national development plan, the work of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Burke, and the important work of the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Lawless.