Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 April 2012
233 Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Finance the number of jobs that have been created over the past 12 months as a result of pension levy deductions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19243/12]
View answerEmployment data are presented in net terms and information on gross flows into and out of employment is not available, making it difficult to assess the number of jobs created by any policy initiative. Having said that, I think it's fair to say that there are tentative signs of an improvement in labour market conditions. For instance, the latest data show that employment increased by 0.6 per cent (the equivalent of 10,000 jobs) in the final quarter of last year, the first increase in four years, and I am encouraged by this. In addition, there has been a modest fall in the Live Register in the opening months of this year.
So leaving aside the fact that quantifying the impact is difficult, I am confident that the measures introduced by the Government in May, such as reducing the rate of VAT in the high value added tourism sector, are playing an important role in both creating and sustaining employment.
Finally, I want to reiterate that addressing the difficulties in the labour market remains the Government's biggest challenge and, accordingly, Government is giving its highest priority to job protection and job creation.
