asked the Minister for Finance, arising out of the fact that notification of 23,000 redundancies was received by the Department of Labour in 1988, his estimate of the reduction in total numbers employed at the end of 1988 compared to the end of 1987; the way in which the figure was computed; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Numbers Employed.
72.
Total employment did not fall in 1988. It actually increased. Notified redundancies declined from 26,000 in the year to April 1988 to 23,000 in the year to end December. It is not possible to quantify the relationship between movements in job losses, including notified redundancies, and net employment.
The 1988 labour force survey showed an increase in total employment of 6,000 in the 12 months to mid-April of that year. The continued strengthening in economic activity shown by available indicators since then supports the view that, apart from the public sector, the trend in total employment continued upward. While it is not possible to make a firm estimate of the end-1988 employment increase, it should be somewhat less than the April labour force survey figure of 6,000 because the upward trend has to be adjusted to take account of the decline in public sector numbers.