asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce how the volume of industrial employment compares with that indicated for this date in the Second Programme for Economic Expansion.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Industrial Employment.
29.
The Second Programme for Economic Expansion envisaged that industrial employment would rise by 60,000 in the period 1964 to 1970 but, as a result of discussions with industry, the projected increase to 1970 was revised to 54,000. While employment projections for the years between 1964 and 1970 were not formulated, the increase of 54,000 implied an annual increase of 2.6 per cent. On this basis, industrial employment in 1965 would have reached 291,600. According to the latest official statistics, employment in industry in 1965 is estimated at 291,000. As regards 1966, the only information available relates to transportable goods industries. The latest estimate, for the March quarter 1966, indicates that employment in this sector was about ¾ per cent higher than in the corresponding quarter of 1965.
Could the Minister say how many new jobs must be found between 1967 and 1970 in order to achieve the target under the Second Programme?
I take it the Deputy is referring to the revised target?
Yes.
As I told the Deputy, the revised figure is 54,000. I should have to do some arithmetic to give the Deputy the answer——
A guess is as good as anything.
The Minister was asked a specific question.
And I gave a specific answer.
He gave a lot of percentages which meant nothing.
I shall give it again to the Deputy. There was no projection formulated year by year but on the basis of the total figure formulated it would average 2.6 per cent. On that basis, accordingly to the target, industrial employment in 1965 should have been 291,600 but according to the official estimate the figure was 291,000. That is not giving percentages and it is not a case of not answering a question but of answering a question as accurately as possible.
Would a figure of 10,000 to 12,000 new jobs per annum be reasonably accurate between this and 1970?
It would, yes.
Could the Minister not have said that long ago?
I prefer to give the answer as accurately as I can.