Written Answers. - Job Creation.
Phil Hogan
Question:
166
Mr. Hogan
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
the number of grant assisted jobs that were announced for each region from 1 January 2001; the number of jobs actually placed to date by these announcements; the details of jobs announced and jobs created for the BMW region; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[16771/03]
Job creation is a day-to-day operational issue for the industrial development agencies under the remit of my Department and not one for which I as Minister have direct involvement. Only a small number of the jobs announced in any given year would normally be expected to be created within the same year, as there is usually a time lag between the announcement of new jobs and the creation of those jobs. Factors which influence this time lag are the time taken to locate and acquire a suitable site for the company's operations, construct the facility, install plant and machinery – in the case of manufacturing plants – and recruit and train staff. It should also be noted that frequently the number of jobs quoted in announcements refers to the number of jobs which a company expects to create over a number of years.
The main agencies under my Department's remit which deal with job creation are Enterprise Ireland in regard to the development of indigenous industry, IDA Ireland in regard to the attraction of inward investment and Shannon Development in the Shannon region. As far as Enterprise Ireland and Shannon Development's areas of responsibility are concerned, between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2002, a total of 2,417 new jobs were announced in the agencies' client companies. Some 1,797 of these were in the south and east region and 920 in the BMW. By the end of 2002, 526 new jobs were created in these companies, 77 of which were in the BMW region and 449 in the south and east region. In all, totals of 15,810 and 12,863 jobs were created in 2001 and 2002 respectively by Enterprise Ireland and Shannon Development-supported companies. In 2003 to the end of May, a total of 300 jobs were announced in respect of these agencies' client companies, 210 in the BMW region and 90 in the south and east region.
In relation to IDA companies, in the period from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2002, 6,950 new jobs were announced, 2,918 in the BMW region and 4,032 in the south and east region. By November 2002, the date of the latest Forfás annual employment survey, 838 of these jobs had been created in green-field projects – 134 in the BMW region and 704 in the south and east region – while total employment in companies where expansions were announced was 4,273 – 3,390 in the BMW region and 883 in the south and east region. In all, totals of 13,282 and 11,743 jobs were created in 2001 and 2002 respectively in IDA Ireland supported client companies. In 2003 to the end of May, a total of 3,346 jobs were announced in respect of IDA Ireland supported client companies – 1,670 in the BMW region and 1,676 in the south and east region.
Job creation figures for 2003 will not be available until November 2003, the date of the next Forfás annual employment survey. It is quite clear that most of these job announcements are currently on target, if not ahead of schedule. I would also make the point that jobs announced are merely a subset of actual jobs approved, which would be a higher figure than those quoted above.
Question No. 167 answered with Question No. 146.
