Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 241: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of jobs arising from overseas investment created here in each of the past seven years; the extent to which a trend has been established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12497/05]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The following tabular statement sets out the number of new jobs created in IDA supported companies in each of the years 1998 to 2004.

Total employment in the IDA portfolio is now just short of 129,000. There was a slight increase in employment in 2004 reversing the downward trend of the previous three years. Significantly, employment in 2004 is over 9% higher than at the end of 1998.

It is important to remember that job creation and job losses are a feature of economic development in all countries as various sectors expand and contract in response to market demand for goods and services, competitive forces, restructuring and technological change.