Forfas survey shows 24,000 new jobs

OVER 24,000 jobs were created last year in manufacturing, internationally traded and financial service firms, according to the Forills employment survey for 1995, published yesterday.

For the second year in succession job creation increased and job losses declined. The figure for jobs lost is the lowest since 1978.

The total number of new jobs created was an increase of over 11 per cent on 1994, while the number of jobs lost fell to just over 14,000, a decline of 7.8 per cent on 1994.

Each region of the country, with the exception of the southeast, showed a positive net change in permanent employment in 1995. There was a 15.2 per cent increase in temporary, sub contract and permanent part-time jobs, which by last year were accounting for 9.5 per cent of total employment.

Mr John Travers, chief executive, introducing the report, said that during 1995 permanent full time employment in manufacturing, internationally traded and financial services companies grew by 9,974 to 228,368, the highest net growth since 1979.

Foreign owned companies accounted for 64.5 per cent of the growth. The internationally traded and financial services showed an increase of 2,190 jobs, to a total of 18,825.

Temporary, sub contract and permanent part time employment increased by 3,166 jobs, to 23,952.

Manufacturing companies accounted for 2,417 of the increase in employment. Mr Travers said there were three distinct trends over the past decade. These were the drop in manufacturing employment in developed countries the growth in internationally traded and financial services and the growth in temporary or short term employment.

While many developed countries had experienced sharp declines in manufacturing employment, Ireland had seen 12 per cent growth in this sector since 1986. This contrasted with, Britain, where employment had fallen by 25 per cent.

Mr Travers said that from a base of 5,500 jobs 10 years ago, employment in internationally traded and financial services had risen to 18,825, a growth rate of 240 per cent. This accounted for over half the rise in permanent full time employment in manufacturing and internationally traded services in the period.

Employment in temporary, permanent part time and short term contract employment had increased by just under 15 per cent between 1987 and 1995, from 9,600 jobs to 24,000. As a percentage of total employment, this form of employment has increased from 4.5 per cent in 1987, to 9.5 per cent last year.

Forfas is the policy and advisory board for industrial development in Ireland.