The Government has revealed its Action Plan for Jobs 2017, which most noticeably includes a battle plan for the fallout of Brexit.
With the eventual onset of Brexit, the Government will need to address the challenges of one of the Ireland’s largest trade partners no longer being in a single market economy.
Admitting that a “significant consideration” was given to Brexit for APJ 2017, the Government took the opportunity to reiterate that it had no intentions of leaving the EU to favour trade with the UK, and will be prepared for whatever trade deals arise from it.
Enterprise Ireland (EI) and IDA Ireland have been given a total of €3m in addition to their annual budgets to recruit 39 and nine staff members, respectively. These new roles will be deployed at home and in overseas offices, bolstering the ability to attract investment.
Speaking at the launch at the offices of the NDRC in Dublin, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD said: “We will focus on getting the basics right, including improving our competitiveness performance, ensuring our skills pipeline is aligned to labour market needs, driving innovation and promoting entrepreneurship, and ensuring finance is available at competitive cost to support and underpin growth.”
Words by Colm Gorey
