Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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16. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which he expects job opportunities in the manufacturing and service sectors to be created over the next ten years, with particular reference to the use of technology, innovation, cost-effectiveness and competitiveness, when compared to other European Union and global locations; the extent to which he expects such jobs to become available throughout the regions, thereby contributing to a balanced economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41668/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Enterprise 2025, the Government’s long-term enterprise policy was launched earlier this month. It is an ambitious strategy, with the objective of delivering growth over the next decade that is sustainable, led by strong export performance, builds on our sectoral strengths, and that is underpinned by innovation, productivity, cost effectiveness and competitiveness. We aim to build resilience into our economy so that we do not suffer again as we have done in the past number of years. We have 135,800 more people at work than when we launched our first Action Plan for Jobs in 2012. Our export performance has been exceptional, with exports by Enterprise Ireland clients at a record of €18.6bn last year. Employment in EI and IDA supported firms has grown by over 40,000 since 2012.

We set a target in 2012 to increase employment by 100,000 by 2016. We achieved that ambitious target and have now exceeded it. We want to go further and to replace all the jobs lost during the recession and to realise sustainable full employment over the longer term.

Enterprise 2025 is a strategy that aims to build an economy that will not just achieve full employment but will sustain it in the long term. It has the commitment across government to take focused actions to deliver growth that is sustainable, led by strong export performance and underpinned by innovation, productivity and competitiveness.

Enterprise 2025 sets out a clear statement of ambition. This includes:

- Having 2.180 million people at work by 2020, with the unemployment rate down to 6 percent;

- Having unemployment in all regions not more than one percent above the national average;

- The creation of an additional 140,000 direct and indirect jobs in agency assisted enterprises;

- Increasing the number of startups by 25 percent per annum - startups with better survival rates - this would see us with 15,700 enterprise births a year;

- Growing exports of Irish-owned firms at a rate of 6-8 percent per annum, achieving a 50 percent increase by 2020;

- Winning an additional 1,080 inward investment projects;

- Our competitiveness will have improved such that we rank amongst the top 3 small companies in the World Bank Doing Business Index; and

- We will see productivity growth in line with the top five countries in the EU.

Enterprise 2025 is a whole of enterprise strategy, aimed at delivering opportunities across all regions and across all sectors, including both manufacturing and services activities. Through a partnership approach with enterprise, representative bodies, the enterprise development agencies, Local Enterprise Offices and others, delivering a step change in enterprise performance and resilience will see a significant increase in Irish owned companies of scale, contributing to Ireland’s reputation for innovation in international markets. We are targeting a doubling of Irish owned companies with sales in excess of €100 million.

It is also about establishing a vibrant and stimulating ecosystem for entrepreneurship to deliver an increase the number of start-ups by 25 percent per annum - start-ups that have better survival rates. We also need to ensure that individual enterprises, and the economy more generally, gain from impactful inter-firm relationships throughout the country, through stimulating the establishment of clusters of scale and international visibility in areas of strength. Ireland is, and will continue to be, the best place to succeed in business, delivering sustainable employment and higher standards of living for all.