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Gov unveil action plan for 100k new jobs

Friday, February 22 10:27:39

The Government today unveiled its Action Plan for Jobs with the goal of 100,000 new jobs by 2016 with 333 measure this year alone - all with highly ambitious deadlines.

The Taoiseach, the Tanaiste and the Minister for Jobs today said Action Plan 2013 contains seven headline "Disruptive Reform" measures - high-impact measures with highly ambitious deadlines, implemented in partnership with senior industry figures and selected because of their potential to have a significant effect on job-creation.

These include "JobsPlus" where, over two years, the State will pay E1 of every E4 it costs an employer to recruit a long-term unemployed person off the Live Register.

The plan will provide an additional 2,000 ICT graduate level professionals in 2013, and by 2018 lead Europe in terms of ICT graduates as a percentage of all third level graduates.

The Government will create a E70million Energy Efficiency Fund to support 20 major projects in 2013 and ultimately create 5,000 jobs.

The plan aims to get 2,000 more small businesses trading online in 2013 and 2014, with the creation of 3,200 jobs.

It will also create a single licensing application system for up to 25 licences in the retail sector, saving retailers over E20million per annum and make Ireland one of the leading countries in Europe for Big Data, a sector growing by up to 40pc per annum.

The Government will establish a world-renowned centre to establish Ireland as a leading location for start-up and growing medtech and healthcare companies.

The IDA to target more than 130 new investments, secure E500million worth of R and D investment and help create 13,000 new jobs in 2013 and Enterprise Ireland will, as part of a comprehensive programme of supports, financially support 155 high potential and early-stage start-ups, assist 300 companies develop new overseas markets through the Potential Exporters Division and will support over 1,000 companies on management development programmes.

"The Government's top priority is to get Ireland working again. The Action Plan for Jobs 2013 is central to our job creation ambitions as we seek to increase the number of new jobs by 100,000 by 2016. The previous Government built an economy based on debt and property that collapsed like a house of cards. We are rebuilding our economy brick-by-brick, making it stronger, ensuring that successes gained are here for the long term," the Taoiseach said.

"The Action Plan for Jobs will continue to focus on our traditional enterprise sectors along with new growth industries. It will target small Irish businesses and new start-ups as well as the biggest multinational companies. This year's plan will contain a number of landmark, step-change projects that will act as exemplars to enterprise as we rebuild an enterprise-focused economy. We have a plan. We are implementing it. And we will see it through until we get Ireland working again."