Written answers

Wednesday, 28 November 2007

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Job Losses

8:00 pm

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 198: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of jobs lost through relocation on a monthly basis in the past 12 months to date; the number of new jobs created in the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31662/07]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Economy wide employment data are officially collected by the Central Statistics Office through, for example its Quarterly National Household Survey and Live Register analysis. Collection of these data does not however include a module on the context in which employment changes take place.

The latest QNHS shows that employment grew by almost 68,000 or 3.3% in the year to the third quarter of 2007. This means that employment in the economy has reached an historic high of 2,140,900. One feature of a competitive economy is the growth and flexibility it shows in creating new employment to replace jobs that are lost. The economy is dynamic and jobs will inevitably be lost as sectors decline, new products replace older ones and competition changes how business is done. Ireland clearly is meeting this aspect of competitiveness.

Some more extensive employment data is available from Forfás. This agency compiles an Annual Employment Survey that provides an analysis of employment levels in manufacturing and internationally traded services companies under the remit of IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Shannon Development and Údarás na Gaeltachta. The latest findings are for the 2006 survey and they reflect the robust employment growth that has been taking place in the enterprise sector that are clients of my Department's enterprise agencies.

Total permanent full-time employment in agency-assisted companies operating in the manufacturing or internationally traded services sectors amounted to 305,062 in 2006, an increase of 5,927 jobs on the previous year. This was the highest level of net job creation since 2000. Total full-time employment among Irish-owned companies amounted to 151,710 in 2006, an increase of 3,014 on the previous year. This was the second year running that the Irish-owned enterprise base has experienced an increase in employment levels. At the end of 2006, employment among Irish-owned companies was 20,558 or 15.7 per cent higher than it was in 1997. For the second year running there was an increase in the number employed in Irish-owned manufacturing companies and permanent full-time employment within Irish-owned manufacturing companies was marginally higher at the end of 2006 than it was in 1997.

Nevertheless the international operating environment for business is not as benign as it has been over the past few years. This increases the importance of driving productivity growth to counteract the numerous external pressures that are emerging in important areas such as financial and commodity markets. With their range of carefully designed support programmes, my Department's enterprise agencies will continue to hold open their doors to clients who ask for help in strengthening their firms' competitiveness.

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