“Clearly we have a problem with unemployment black-spots and the Government needs to bring forward a specific strategy, as part of an overall job creation strategy, to tackle these areas.
“Tallaght has seen its fair share of job losses over the past couple of years with the loss of companies such as APW, Packard, Gallaghers, Jacobs, Sujitsu and now we are possibly facing the threat of further possible job losses at the CityWest Hotel.
“There has been little or no effort from Government to replace these jobs or to provide training for those who lost their jobs and to adapt to new emerging industries.
“Clearly, if we could make a concerted effort to stem the loss of jobs in unemployment black-spots throughout the state then this would go a long way to stemming the national figures.
“The tide of emigration is masking the true extent of the jobs crisis in this state and the Government is shamefully turning a blind eye to this. Exporting our young people is not the way to tackle unemployment.
“Jobs can be created. Solutions exist. The government needs to take immediate actions now.
“Sinn Féin has put forward a comprehensive set of costed proposals to retain and create jobs.
“We have concrete proposals that can reverse these jobs losses and give the growing number of unemployed access to real jobs.
“These include:
- €500 million youth jobs fund to create 20,000 new entrepreneur and business jobs.Create jobs through essential construction– hospitals, schools, public transport networks and roll-out of broadband.A new green technology body – Eolas Glás Éireann – for research, promotion and funding of green energy and environmental technologies.
- Introduce specific job-creation strategies in agri-food, tourism, digital media and IT.
- €600 million job retention fund to subsidise workers in struggling small and medium businesses – potential to save 96,000 jobs
“Our full job creation proposals can be accessed at www.sinnfein.ie.
“Behind today’s latest figures are 507 individuals and families in crisis with no real chance of any new employment prospects for the immediate future.”