New 10-Year Jobs And Enterprise Scheme Launched

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has launched Enterprise 2025, a new 10-year jobs and enterprise strategy.

The Taoiseach was joined by Tánaiste Joan Burton, Jobs Minister Richard Bruton, and Ministers of State Ged Nash and Damien English Dogpatch labs in the CHQ building in Dublin. 

Outlining the new plan, the Taoiseach said that it was aimed at ending the cycle of boom-bust and delivering sustainable, enterprise-based jobs growth.

The strategy targets 2.18million people at work by 2020, the highest in the history of the State, which will entail an increase of 221,300 people at work based on most recent figures.

Key targets included in the plan include: 

• achieving and retaining a top 3 competitiveness ranking 

• unemployment in each region being within one percent of the State average by 2020 

• a 60 percent increase in EI enterprises spending more than €1m on R&D and winning €3.6bn in R&D related FDI

• delivering 2-2.5% productivity growth per annum in Irish companies 

• step-change in the export performance by Irish companies – 50% increase in exports by Irish companies by 2020 

• an additional 1080 inward investment projects 

• export sector to create 47% (105,000) of the new jobs to 2020 (including tourism). During the years of the construction boom, exporting companies accounted for only 19% of jobs. This export-driven strategy will help ensure that the jobs growth is sustainable

The Taoiseach said: "Enterprise 2025 is a blueprint on how to rebuild a sustainable economy, sector by sector. It marks a definitive end to the boom and bust cycle embraced by previous Governments. While recovery is underway, it is still fragile and can be undone with the wrong policies that will take the country in the wrong direction. Our strategy is to keep the recovery going by building up all sectors in the economy and to ensure that progress is balanced across the country. With these plans we expect to see unemployment in all regions to be within 1% of the national average in every region by 2020. A strong economy with full employment that supports vibrant public services for our people is within our grasp if we make the right choices."

(MH/CD)