Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 30 Nov 1999

Vol. 511 No. 6

Written Answers. - Employment Survey.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

136 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of jobs created in the past 12 months; the number lost in this period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25395/99]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

Forfás and associated agencies for which I am responsible undertake an annual employment survey of their clients. Data from the latest available survey – 1998 – and that from the county enterprise boards indicate that, in firms assisted, at some stage in their development, by these agencies, employment creation and job losses between 1997 and 1998 were as follows:

	Agencies reporting to the Dept. of Enterprise, Trade and Employment	County Enterprise Boards
Full Time Jobs Created in 1998	30,622	3,157
Full Time Jobs Lost in 1998	16,571	notcurrentlyavailable

Nineteen ninety eight was the fifth successive year of strong economic growth and this is reflected not only in the above figures but in job creation throughout the economy.

Sound macro-economic management and policy developments which help make Ireland an attractive location for enterprise continue to have a strong positive impact on employment creation. Data from the CSO's quarterly national household survey indicate that the employment creation in the broader economy is also continuing at a significant rate. Between the second quarter of 1998 and the comparable period in 1999 an additional 96,600 jobs were created. In the same period unemployment fell by 29,700.

Job losses must be seen in the context of overall strong economic growth, declining unemployment and sustained employment expansion throughout the economy. Employment is dependent on the success or failure of individual firms in the market economy and it is inevitable that some firms will fail, as indeed, many are thriving, expanding and generating additional employment. All the recent forecasts suggest that the economy is set for continued strong growth.