Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 March 2014
94. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of manufacturing jobs created indigenously in each of the past three years to date emanating from small and medium-sized enterprises or inward investment respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12692/14]
View answer97. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which his Department continues to monitor costs affecting retention and creation of jobs in both manufacturing and services sectors here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12695/14]
View answer100. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the total number of jobs in both the manufacturing and services sectors created in County Kildare in each of the past three years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12698/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 94, 97 and 100 together.
The manufacturing sector had lost 50,000 jobs in the years up to 2010. However, the sector has seen a modest return to growth in employment over the last few years, with an additional 8,000 jobs having been created in the last year alone. In relation to overall employment in the manufacturing sector, when account is taken of indirect jobs, the sector now supports over 400,000 employees. It is not possible to give a breakdown of manufacturing job numbers created nationally in the very specific format requested by the Deputy. The Forfás Strategy for the Manufacturing Sector, which I commissioned and which was launched in April last, identified that an additional 20,000 jobs can be created in the sector by 2016. A complementary report was also published in relation to skills needs by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and Forfás.
Arising from the Manufacturing Strategy and the Skills Report, there are now a range of initiatives in hand by my Department and relevant Agencies to drive the 2016 target, with key actions from both reports having been incorporated into the series of Action Plans for Jobs. One of the key actions is to deliver a National Step Change initiative to strengthen Ireland’s manufacturing base across all firms engaged in manufacturing i.e. small and medium-sized firms and larger multi-nationals, particularly in higher-value sub sectors such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and food.
The services sector accounts for two-thirds of total employment in Ireland. While many of these firms are not in receipt of State support, in respect of those that are, there has been a positive trend in job creation recently with 6,372 new full-time services jobs being created by enterprise agency supported companies since 2012. In relation to the indigenous sector, Enterprise Ireland client companies created 18,033 new jobs in 2013, a net increase of 5,442 jobs. Indigenous companies like these account for more than 300,000 jobs in the economy which equates to about 15% of the total workforce.
Regarding the position on costs generally, the 2014 Action Plan for Jobs places a particular focus on improving competitiveness in all areas of economic activity and contains a range of specific measures which will deliver further improvements in our international competitiveness performance. These measures include the regular monitoring of competitiveness issues by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Recovery and Jobs, which will consider specific initiatives to make it easier to do business in Ireland. The Government will receive a report from the Cabinet Committee on a quarterly basis on these issues. Other competitiveness measures in the Action Plan for Jobs cover improving cost competitiveness, supporting competitive regions, aligning skills with enterprise needs and using research and innovation to drive job creation.
In relation to jobs created in County Kildare in the manufacturing and services sectors over the last three years, such data is not readily available. However, non sector-specific details of jobs created and lost by Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the County Enterprise Board, in each individual county, over recent years, were supplied by me in the reply to Parliamentary Question 47719/13 dated 12 November 2013, to which I would again refer the Deputy. This data obviously excludes jobs created outside the remit of the Enterprise Agencies. I am confident that the measures currently underway will help develop and grow both the manufacturing and services sectors in Ireland which, in turn, will lead to sustainable employment and a reduction in the live register.
