Ireland may cut the number of foreign nationals being given work permits after figures published today showed the first year-on-year increase in the unemployment level in five years, according to the Tánaiste, Ms Mary Harney.
The move is also being considered in response to a series of developments yesterday which are set to lead to the loss of more than 1,100 jobs by the end of the year.
The possibility of reducing the number of immigrants allowed to work in Ireland was raised by Ms Harney, who had earlier stressed that the economy remained fundamentally sound despite the latest job losses.
Later, in Galway, she admitted concern over the latest developments, but insisted that Ireland was not in a recession, despite the continuing consequences for the economy of the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
Ms Harney said the number of foreign nationals getting work permits was likely to be reduced sharply "in the immediate future".
The Government had adopted "a very liberal regime" in relation to immigrants in recent years, with up to 60,000 being granted work permits, she said.
But a more conservative approach would be adopted, she said, adding that the issues of overseas workers was "one of the safety valves we have for dealing with the present slowdown".
Government chief whip Séamus Brennan said the rise in unemployment marked the "inevitable impact" of the world slowdown.
The statistics followed yesterday's black day on the Irish employment front.
The job losses included: Nearly 700 workers laid off for three months by the Finnish management of Tara Mines, County Meath, because of a drop in zinc prices; more than 320 jobs at the closed-down AFL car component jobs in Dundalk, County Louth; 100 employees stood down by the Braun electronic company in Carlow; and 75 staff out of work because of the closure of the Dublin-based Tusa in-store banking service.
PA