Jan 20th 2016: 1,245 new jobs announced Jan 20th 2011: FF’s botched reshuffle as 300,000 jobs lost – Bruton

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD said that the announcement of 1,245 new jobs today (Wednesday), marks not only an excellent day for workers, but signifies a stark contrast to the chaotic economic situation in 2011, when jobs were haemorrhaging and Fianna Fáil attempted a botched reshuffle.

“On 20^th January 2011, Fianna Fáil were scrambling, and failing, to deal with the economic crash as 300,000 jobs were lost across the country. Brian Cowen announced a botched reshuffle where Ministers were double or triple jobbing. Unbelievably Mary Hanafin became the Minister for Tourism, Sport & Culture, and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment.

“Five years later 1,245 jobs have been announced in one day, adding to the 135,000 that have been created since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs in 2012. Over the past year the economy has been creating over 1,000 jobs a week and unemployment has fallen from a high of 15.1% to 8.8%.

“Meanwhile Fianna Fáil are still scrambling, and failing, to come up with a jobs policy. It’s the same old Fianna Fáil. They ruined the economy through their policies in the 2000s which ignored competitiveness and neglected exports. When the crash came, destroying 300,000 jobs, they made it worse by heaping taxes on work.

“Fianna Fáil has no real plan for the economy or job creation. Their proposals show that they have not learned the lesson that high taxes on work kill jobs.

“As part of our jobs plan this Government committed to no increases in tax on work and delivered that in the most difficult years. As soon as the recovering economy permitted we started the process of reducing FF’s tax hikes by cutting the USC, and we have committed to abolishing it in the lifetime of the next government.

“Fine Gael has a long term plan to keep the recovery going. Our plan will deliver more new jobs, spread right across the country, jobs that pay more than welfare, where hard work is rewarded. The plan will also deliver affordable, sustainable investments in services using the resources from growing employment.

“Fianna Fáil failed in government and now they have failed in opposition. It’s the same old Fianna Fáil. They are a risk to recovery and have no real plan for this country’s future.”