Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 January 2021
6. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if there is a current action plan for jobs; if there is data to target and measure new jobs by county rather than regions; if same is possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2035/21]
View answerAction Plan for Jobs (APJ), 2018, was the seventh and final in an annual series outlining the Government’s joined-up approach to maximising employment across Ireland ensuring that all parts of the country achieve their potential in terms of job creation. Employment grew by over 300,000 over the lifetime of the Action Plans for Jobs, 2012 to 2018, with job creation in all eight regions. Unemployment fell from a high of 15.9% in 2011 to 5.7% at the end of 2018.
Against this back drop of almost full employment, the Government introduced Future Jobs Ireland in 2019, which set out a policy shift away from job numbers towards quality jobs to allow for higher living standards, and sustainable jobs, with a focus on maximising labour market participation. Future Jobs sought to further embed a resilient and innovative economy that was adaptable to future challenges and to foster economically, environmentally and socially sustainable growth. This agenda has been largely subsumed into the forthcoming National Economic Plan (NEP), the Government’s new medium-term economic plan to rebuild Ireland’s economy in the aftermath of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
It is envisaged that the plan will set out a pathway for an inclusive and regionally balanced recovery. While the challenge is great, the government is committed to help people get back to work, be that a return to their old jobs or to avail of new job opportunities that will emerge as the economy transitions. This will be supported through a range of labour market activation measures and skills initiatives and engaging employers.
The Central Statistics Office Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates of employment are produced at NUTS 3 regions. Due to methodology and sample size considerations, it is not possible to produce reliable county estimates from the LFS.
Delivering a competitive, resilient and regionally balanced enterprise base will be prioritised in the NEP. It is critical that the potential for enterprise growth and job creation is facilitated in every region. To achieve this nine Regional Steering Committees that offer a bottom-up perspective on regional needs and opportunities have been established and will drive collaborative responses through nine refreshed Regional Enterprise Plans (REPs) to 2023. Regional Enterprise Plans are focused on strengthening the ecosystem for job creation in the regions and in so doing will support the realisation of annual enterprise agency and LEO jobs and investment targets.
Employment will also be supported through regional infrastructure development and measures to leverage remote working including investment in enterprise space and hub infrastructures and provision of co-working and remote working facilities where there are gaps in provision.
