Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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131. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the current rates of change his views on when an additional 100,000 jobs will be created in the economy. [18619/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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In the Action Plan for Jobs, the Government has set an ambitious target of having 100,000 more people at work by 2016. When we launched the first in a series of annual Action Plans for Jobs in February 2012, I said that the transformation needed for our economy would not come through one big bang solution but through deliberate and determined action across all areas of Government and the private sector.

One year into the Action Plan for Jobsprocess, we can see the evidence that the strategy and architecture are working. There were 270 individual actions committed to last year, to improve the operating environment and supports for job-creating businesses, and remove barriers to employment-creation right across our economy. Over 90% of these actions were completed during 2012. More importantly there has been a stabilisation in jobs numbers in the last six months and, last year 12,000 jobs were created in the private sector, in particular in export oriented companies. The compares to the 250,000 private sector jobs lost in the three years before this Government took office.

As with 2012, employment retention and creation will continue to be our primary objective in 2013. I am confident that we now have a structure in place that can deliver the type of actions needed to continue supporting the transition underway in our economy.

This year's Action Plan for Jobs includes 333 actions for delivery across all Government Departments and 46 Agencies or Offices. The plan also includes seven Disruptive Reforms that the Government have identified as having potential to have a significant impact on job creation. In addition, the experience and perspective of the six industry partners, recently appointed jointly by myself and the Taoiseach, will prove invaluable as we take on these strategically significant challenges. This can only help us in achieving the vital task of growing our economy and getting our people back to work in increasing numbers and achieving the target of 100,000 more people at work by 2016.