When the first Action Plan for Jobs was launched five years ago this month unemployment was at an alarming rate of 15.2% and the economy was in a very poor condition. Today, our economy is the fastest growing in Europe and the unemployment rate has been driven down to 7.1%. The Action Plans for Jobs have been pivotal in these achievements.
The Plans have been revolutionary by scrutinising all Government departments and State agencies, defining job creation measures and, crucially, assigning their achievement to specific points of responsibility.
Aiming to help create 45,000 new jobs this year the Plan contains over 160 actions with primary objectives including: Responding to Brexit; Diversifying Trade; Growing and Scaling Enterprise; Ensuring Access to Finance; Strengthening Clusters; and Stimulating Regional Growth.
This year’s Plan is building on specific sectors in specific regions. Five sectors have been identified for the West including Hospitality, Sales, MedTech, ICT and Marine and Creative Arts. The Action Plan seeks to strengthen these sectors with a range of supports to help companies and start-ups to innovate, identify opportunities, and increase business and employment.
One of the key themes of the 2017 Action Plan for Jobs is Stimulating Regional Growth and Galway and the West are central to this. Alongside the implementation of the Action Plan for Jobs for the West other measures for Galway include:
- Commencement of construction of a new IDA Advance Building by the end of this year;
- Development of a Marine Innovation Park for research and commercial activities in Cill Chiaráin, Connemara;
- Development of four innovation hubs to support and develop start-ups and entrepreneurship in the Gaeltacht;
- Deliver balanced and sustainable tourism revenue, jobs growth and economic benefit to communities in the West through the Wild Atlantic Way. This includes interpretation projects for communities, innovation support for local tourism businesses and a new suite of festivals associated with the Wild Atlantic Way;
- Develop heritage tourism including trailways in National Parks such as Connemara National Parks.
These measures are joined by dozens more which have direct relevance to Galway, Mayo and the West. With new challenges such as Brexit, changing US policies, among others, it is more important than ever before to have a strategy like the Action Plan for Jobs to support job creation across our country.
The Action Plan for Jobs: https://www.djei.ie/en/Publications/Publication-files/Action-Plan-for-Jobs-2017.pdf
Table of Actions: https://www.djei.ie/en/Publications/Publication-files/Action-Plan-for-Jobs-2017-Table-of-Actions.pdf