Vol. 505 No. 6
65 Mr. Power asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of new jobs created in 1998; the way in which this compares with previous years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14519/99]
According to quarterly national household survey data published by the Central Statistics Office, there were 1,544,700 at work in the fourth quarter of 1998. This was an increase of 72,000 on the corresponding quarter in 1997 and continues the strong upward trend in employment provided by the economy in the five years to 1998. In the five years from April 1993 to April 1998 the numbers in employment increased by 291,400 while in the following six months employment expanded by a further 50,200.
This unprecedented rate of employment growth in excess of 5.0 per cent per year is the highest in the European Union and has been facilitated by Government policies aimed at providing a stable environment in which enterprise can flourish together with the benefits of successful and successive partnership agreements.
