Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 July 2017
60. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the regional job targets and unemployment rate projections under the programme for Government for 2020 and Enterprise 2025, by year and by region, in tabular form; the latest figures at hand for these targets; the monitoring and reporting mechanisms in place; her job targets up to 2020 by region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31965/17]
View answerThe Programme for Partnership Government commitment is to support the creation of 200,000 jobs by 2020, including 135,000 jobs outside of Dublin.
Regional job creation targets have been set through the Regional Action Plan for Jobs, the primary objective of which is to have a further 10 to 15 per cent at work in each region by 2020, with the aim, as set out in Enterprise 2025, of having the unemployment rate of each region within one per cent of the national average.
In keeping with the medium to longer term ambition of the Regional Plans, these targets are not broken down on a yearly basis.
The published targets for jobs to be created, in addition to the latest employment data from the CSO showing job creation and current unemployment rates, for each of the 8 NUTS III regions, is laid out in the following table:
|
Region |
Published Regional APJ targets by 2020 |
Net new jobs created Q1 2015 –Q1 2017 |
Unemployment Rate at Q1 2017 |
|
North East/North West |
28,000 |
4,700 |
7.5% |
|
Midland |
14,000 |
7,300 |
7.8% |
|
West |
25,000 |
17,900 |
6.9% |
|
Dublin |
66,000 |
42,300 |
6.3% |
|
Mid-East |
25,000 |
9,000 |
5.0% |
|
Mid-West |
23,000 |
9,300 |
6.8% |
|
South-East |
25,000 |
12,400 |
9.3% |
|
South-West |
40,000 |
12,700 |
5.9% |
|
State Total |
246,000 |
115,600 |
6.7% |
The unemployment rate has fallen in all regions in the past year while, during the same period, more than three out of every four new jobs created were outside Dublin. In 2016, almost two thirds of new jobs created by Enterprise Ireland-supported companies, and over half of those created by IDA-supported companies, were outside Dublin. Based on current data all regions are on target to meet or exceed the job targets set down in 2015 for each region to be delivered by 2020.
Each Regional Action Plan is being monitored and driven by a local Implementation Committee, comprising representatives from the Enterprise Sector, as well as the Local Authorities, Enterprise Agencies, and other public bodies in the region. Collaboration between the private and the public sector has been a core element in each plan’s development, and is central to each plan’s delivery.
Progress Reports are being published twice yearly. First Progress Reports for all plans were published in December 2016. Second progress reports from 5 of the 8 regions were published on 26 June 2017, with the remaining 3 currently being finalised.
