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Pace of job loss at Udaras firms eases

Tuesday, September 11 14:44:24

The pace at which jobs were lost at Udaras na Gaeltachta client companies eased significantly with a net loss of 104 jobs and with 6,970 people employed at the end of 2011, its annual report showed today.

The job reductions occurred mostly due to companies shedding a small number of staff in order to rationalise and reduce costs with companies trading in the domestic market mainly affected, its Chairman, Liam O Cuinneagain said.

He said that medical devices, audio visual and digital media, financial services and niche manufacturing all recorded sectoral increases in employment in 2011.

Sean O Labhrai, Acting-Chief Executive said that this was as a result of the authority making every effort to support existing businesses to retain their level of employment.

An tUdaras granted a total new investment of E21m in new projects in 2011. It hopes that the investment will result in the creation of up to 400 new jobs.

The annual report quotes Forfas research conducted in 2011 which shows that Udaras client companies sold E750m worth of goods of total in 2010. E399m of that total was exported, an increase of 13pc on the previous year. E20m was spent by 40pc of client companies on research and development.