Mary Harney
Question:29 Miss Harney asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the job creation forecasts for 1997; and if he will give an estimate of the number of these jobs which will go to people on the live register. [2906/97]
Written Answers. - Job Creation.
Agencies which fall within my remit are forecasting the creation of 28,000 gross new jobs in 1997, in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors. This represents a continuation of the exceptionally strong performance of Forbairt, IDA Ireland and Shannon Development companies in 1996. In addition, at a more local level, the county enterprise boards, are forecasting the creation of 3,000 gross new jobs in 1997.
This year's budget and estimates are framed on the basis of an expected additional 45,000 jobs in the economy in 1997. The significant level of jobs growth across all sectors of the economy should yield substantial opportunities for persons on the live register.
As regards the extent to which the forecast new manufacturing and internationally traded jobs will be filled by people from the live register, I refer the Deputy to the results of a special employment survey carried out by Forfás, at my request which was reproduced in our labour market strategy paper Growing and Sharing Our Employment. These results show that 33.2 per cent of new employees recruited in 1995 by manufacturing and internationally traded companies within Forbairt and IDA Ireland portfolios came directly from the live register. Further recruitment from the live register would ensue from the knock-on effect of these firms recruiting staff from other firms who in turn, on the basis of the same recruitment patterns, would also obtain a portion of their replacement staff from the live register.
Apart from measures to promote employment which are the focus of the enterprise support agencies in manufacturing and internationally traded services, this Government has a range of active labour market policies in place comprising both employment-oriented and training and skills acquisition programmes to help ensure that the registered unemployed are provided with effective chances to compete for jobs. Jobstart is a direct recruitment subsidy to employers which is specifically targeted at the very long-term unemployed on the live register.
Community employment is the main manpower intervention by the State with provision being made for an average of 40,000 places. It provides a work experience placement together with an element of training to targeted groups of whom 80 per cent come directly from the live register. The work and skills experience gained by participants enhances their capacity to compete for jobs in the market economy.