Conor Lenihan
Ceist:125 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Ireland's position relative to the rest of Europe in relation to levels of job creation. [9841/99]
Written Answers. - Job Creation.
Conor Lenihan
Ceist:126 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the comparisons between Ireland and the EU partners in relation to job creation. [9842/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 and 126 together.
A cross country comparison of the changing trends in employment based on figures published by the Statistical Office of the European Communities – EUROSTAT – is reproduced in the following table. It shows the very positive recent trends in employment growth in Ireland compared with employment trends in other European Union member states.
In the year to April 1997 – the latest period for which cross-comparative data is available – growth in employment in Ireland, at 5.0 per cent, was the highest of all EU member states. The growth rate was over one-quarter higher than Luxembourg who had the next highest employment growth rate of 3.7 per cent. Ireland's employment growth exceeded the average European growth rate, of 0.6 per cent, by a factor of eight. Over a more extended period, covering the two years from April 1995, Irelands employment growth rate, of 8.8 per cent, was nearly one-third higher than the next highest rate of 6.1 per cent, and exceeded the European average, of 0.9 per cent, by a factor of nine.
Total Employment in EU member states (000)
|
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
% Change 1995/97 |
|
|
EU 15 |
147,717 |
148,222 |
149,042 |
0.9% |
|
Austria |
3,759 |
3,710 |
3,719 |
1.1% |
|
Belgium |
3,793 |
3,791 |
3,838 |
1.2% |
|
Denmark |
2,617 |
2,649 |
2,720 |
3.9% |
|
Finland |
2,084 |
2,112 |
2,170 |
4.1% |
|
France |
22,284 |
22,287 |
22,306 |
0.1% |
|
Germany |
34,860 |
34,415 |
33,928 |
2.7% |
|
Greece |
3,821 |
3,868 |
3,853 |
0.8% |
|
Ireland |
1,262 |
1,308 |
1,373 |
8.8% |
|
Italy |
19,943 |
20,037 |
20,044 |
0.5% |
|
Luxembourg |
214 |
219 |
227 |
6.1% |
|
Netherlands |
6,703 |
6,846 |
7,037 |
5.0% |
|
Portugal |
4,413 |
4,443 |
4,529 |
2.6% |
|
Spain |
12,042 |
12,396 |
12,765 |
6.0% |
|
Sweden |
3,986 |
3,963 |
3,922 |
1.6% |
|
UK |
25,936 |
26,177 |
26,612 |
2.6% |
Note: Figures relate to net job creation i.e. the balance between jobs created and jobs lost.
Source: EU Employment in Europe Report 1998, statistical annex.