Cork going from strength to strength with thousands of new jobs created – Collins

Fine Gael TD for Cork North West, Áine Collins, has said that recent Enterprise Ireland employment figures show that Cork is going from strength to strength with thousands of extra jobs created over the last three years.

“Cork saw 4,655 new Enterprise Ireland jobs created during the first three years of this Government’s term in office. There are now 30% more people in Enterprise Ireland supported employment in Cork than there were in 2010. This figures just describes the jobs supported by Enterprise Ireland. Many more jobs were created across Cork last year.

“The jobs figures are not just meaningless statistics. It’s people coming off the Live Register, or coming home from abroad where they have spent the years of the economic crash. It is about reuniting families and giving people the dignity and independence that work affords them.

“Crucially this is also about reinvigorating communities. The knock on effect of these jobs is really positive for family businesses and new start-ups. For every Enterprise Ireland job created, one extra job is supported elsewhere in the economy. So in the case of Cork, 4,655 direct jobs actually means 9,310 jobs when you include the indirect employment created. This is not just about jobs for Cork city. It is about the whole region. These are jobs for Charleville, Millstreet, Macroom, Kanturk, Ballincollig and have a huge impact on the wider rural economy.

“This week will see the first pay day of the New Year for many and, thanks to the sacrifices of the Irish people, the Government is putting money back in pay packets for the first time in seven years. All workers will be a little better off. A worker on the average industrial wage of about €35,000 gets €396 back. A family of two earners with two children, bringing in €60,000 get back €469. This is only a first step in making our tax system fairer and better for job creation. We want to deliver similar tax cuts in 2016 and again the following year if re-elected.  Both Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin on the other hand, voted against these tax reductions.  

“There is a perception out there that the economic recovery is happening only in Dublin but this is clearly not the case. 70% of the extra Enterprise Ireland jobs created in 2014 were actually outside of Dublin and it is great to see Cork really taking off again with so much employment created. The Live Register has dropped 26.5% in Cork city and 24% across county Cork, since the launch of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs in February 2012. I will work to ensure that this Plan continues to pay dividends for Cork in getting people back to work.”