Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps that he is taking to create jobs and stem on-going emigration. [41598/12]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government inherited a situation where 300,000 jobs had been lost in the three years prior to March 2011, our banking system had all but collapsed, and we were in the middle of a world-wide economic downturn. Previous Governments had become too dependent on a small number of sectors to support economic performance – an approach that was neither wise nor sustainable.

This Government has set about transforming the economy, firstly by making fiscal and bank consolidation more job friendly, including through tax changes, asset sales and the creation of a stimulus package. We have introduced the annual Action Plan for Jobs to support employment creation by the enterprise sector based on innovation, entrepreneurship and exporting. We have also developed the Pathways to Work initiative to transform our engagement with those who are unemployed.

The Action Plan for Jobs has an ambition of supporting an extra 100,000 jobs in the economy by 2016. The Plan contains 270 measures for delivery across all Government Departments, as well as 36 State agencies.

In spite of very difficult domestic and external economic environment, we are beginning to see the positive impact of the Government’s policies. 2011 saw an increase of 6,000 jobs in IDA-supported companies, compared with net losses of 15,000 jobs between 2008 and 2010. So far this year, the IDA has announced investments with the potential to create more than 6,000 further jobs as these projects come on stream.

Similarly, jobs in Enterprise Ireland companies started to grow again in 2011, for the first time in three years. In the first eight months of 2012, a total of 4,669 job commitments over the next three years, linked to Enterprise Ireland approvals to client companies, have been secured.

In spite of continued job losses in more traditional sectors such as Construction, and Financial, Insurance and Administrative activities, we are seeing a stabilisation in the level of private sector employment, particularly in areas targeted by the Action Plan for Jobs.

It is particularly encouraging that exports from indigenous companies have been growing even faster than FDI and reached €15.2 billion in exports in 2011 – the highest level ever. In spite of continued job losses in more traditional sectors such as Construction, and Financial, Insurance and Administrative activities, we are seeing stabilisation in the level of private sector employment. However, the downgrading of growth forecasts in most of our trading partners will create a particularly challenging environment for the next 12 months.

We are now working on the preparation of proposals for the Action Plan for Jobs 2013. I have had a number of constructive meetings and invite submissions for consideration.