The Irish Taoiseach (prime minister), Tánaiste (deputy PM) and minister for jobs, enterprise and innovation have launched the first annual Action Plan for Jobs, which aims to create 100,000 jobs by 2016.
Of the nearly 4.5m population in Ireland, 1.8m are currently in work, and this would rise to 1.9m by 2016 and then 2m by 2020 under the new plans.
Colm Buckley, managing director of Sales & Marketing recruiter ‘The People Group’, says that while he acknowledges that the plan is no magic bullet, he hopes it can promote more optimism across the economy, saying: “Working and operating here over the last 10 years, particularly over the last seven or eight, we’ve been very good at boxing above our weight – I think we’ve now become too good at talking ourselves down.”
Plans underlined in the document include support for “indigenous” start ups and established businesses, and “developing and deepening the impact of foreign direct investment”. Buckley comments that the US will be a particular target, and especially given that “there is something like 48m people who claim Irish descendency in the US” it makes sense to “tap in to it”.
The manufacturing sector is the first sector of 20 in total mentioned in the report with growth potential, and the report suggest it can provide 20,000 new jobs in the next five years.
Working with sales & marketing roles, Buckley works across a number of sectors and suggests particular optimism for direct and supply chain jobs in the digital sector, especially given companies like Google and LinkedIn who have recently-established Dublin offices, while FMCG roles have “petered off a little of late”.
The article is taken from http://www.recruiter.co.uk/ , with Colm Buckley, Managing Director of ‘The People Group’ giving his reaction to the job creation initiative announced by the government here in Ireland.
