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Job Creation

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 December 2013

Thursday, 19 December 2013

Questions (155)

Terence Flanagan

Question:

155. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his plans to increase Irish manufacturing jobs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54961/13]

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Written answers

Despite the significant job losses in manufacturing in the years up to 2010, this trend has been reversed and there are now 213,600 people directly employed in the sector in Ireland. Given that a similar number of people are employed indirectly: the total supported within the sector is therefore over 420,000. Last year, in order to build on the potential for this sector, I asked Forfás to undertake an analysis of Manufacturing in Ireland and the resultant Strategy, which I launched earlier this year, sets a comprehensive suite of recommendations to develop the sector, which are now being progressed. The Strategy identifies that an additional 20,000 jobs can be created in Manufacturing by 2016.

In addition to that Strategy, I also initiated another research project on issues relating to skills needs, and that report entitled “The Future Skills Needs of the Manufacturing Sector to 2020 ” was published by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs/Forfás at the same time. Both of these reports complement each other and will assist Government in reaching that job creation target.

A particularly attractive feature of manufacturing in Ireland is the fact that many of the present jobs are not in the main urban areas, but dispersed into regional locations, thereby providing a valuable employment focus in areas where alternative jobs are scarce. The further development of the sector will, of course, build on this key feature.

Key tasks from both reports have been incorporated into the Action Plan for Jobs 2013, which includes a series of actions to develop the sector. By implementing that Plan and, also, the new 2014 Action Plan for Jobs, to be developed in the New Year, the Government is confident that further growth in manufacturing employment will be achieved.

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