asked the Minister for Labour if he will list the number of job losses for each of the past 20 years; if he will give the estimate for 1980; the number of these job losses that have been accounted for by (i) redundancies and (ii) other means; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Job Losses.
373.
As a preliminary remark, I should point out that employers are not obliged to notify job losses.
It will help to put the information in perspective if I indicate generally the position as regards the creation and maintenance of employment. Job creation is running at an exceptionally high level but the full effects are being offset by job losses caused mainly by the general world economic recession. Government action is being taken to maintain as many jobs as possible. The measures being taken include the activities of Fóir Teoranta, for whom extra finance has been made available and the IDA rescue service. A group comprising representatives of the Departments of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Labour and Agriculture, the IDA, Fóir Teoranta, the Industrial Credit Company and CTT has been set up to co-ordinate activities. Government programmes to stimulate new job creation include the purchase of sites and vacant factories, the construction of advance factories, intensified industrial promotional activities by the IDA, SFADCo and Údarás na Gaeltachta, the activities of Córas Tráchtála, AnCO and the National Manpower Service and additions to the provisions for infrastructure in the public capital programme.
The best information on job losses in manufacturing industry is that available to the IDA. The following table gives figures for gross job losses for manufacturing industry for the years since 1975, the earliest date for which information is available.
|
1975 |
1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
1979 |
|
|
Job Losses |
27,400 |
17,500 |
16,100 |
14,700 |
14,860 |
As regards redundancies, statistics since the introduction of the Act in 1968 are set out for the manufacturing sector in the following table.
Redundancies in manufacturing which were notified by employers as qualified under the Redundancy Payments Scheme
|
Year |
Number |
|
1968 |
1,424 |
|
1969 |
1,544 |
|
1970 |
1,785 |
|
1971 |
4,187 |
|
1972 |
5,194 |
|
1973 |
3,434 |
|
1974 |
5,736 |
|
1975 |
11,383 |
|
1976 |
6,818 |
|
1977 |
6,990 |
|
1978 |
5,115 |
|
1979 |
4,313 |
It should be understood, firstly, that redundancy figures relate to proposed rather than actual redundancies and, secondly, that statutory notifications apply only to employees coming within the scope of the redundancy legislation.
As regards non-manufacturing sectors, the following table sets out redundancies, defined as above, for these sectors.
Redundancies in non-manufacturing sectors which were notified by employers as qualified under the Redundancy Payments Scheme
|
Year |
Number |
|
1968 |
2,439 |
|
1969 |
2,152 |
|
1970 |
2,111 |
|
1971 |
4,369 |
|
1972 |
4,965 |
|
1973 |
4,070 |
|
1974 |
5,466 |
|
1975 |
7,621 |
|
1976 |
5,946 |
|
1977 |
5,820 |
|
1978 |
4,752 |
|
1979 |
3,247 |
Notified redundancies, as defined above, for the first 11 months of the year were 7,667 in manufacturing and 5,883 in non-manufacturing.
It is not possible at this stage to give a reliable estimate of the net job situation in manufacturing industry by the end of 1980; Whatever gross figure emerges for job losses will fall to be offset by the IDA performance. This includes some 35,000 job approvals in 1980 and the expected creation in the year of about 15,000 first-time grant-aided jobs.
As regards a breakdown of job losses between those accounted for by redundnacy and other reasons, I would estimate that for manufacturing industry about a third are accounted for by redundancy. The other main reason is workers leaving their jobs and not being immediately replaced, which has always been a feature of business activity.