High impact Disruptive Reforms and ensuring access to credit will help SMEs to create and retain jobs
The Action Plan for Jobs (APJ) 2013 will build on the progress made in 2012, by supporting businesses and removing obstacles to job creation, which will help get our people off the dole and back to work.
The seven Disruptive Reform measures included in the APJ will draw on the experience of senior industry figures to meet ambitious deadlines and have a significant impact on job creation. Ensuring access to credit for SMEs is also key to boosting employment.
Ireland’s jobs market is in a transition phase right now, where we are moving from the failed economy of the past, based on banking and construction, to a more stable and sustainable model which is based on enterprise, exports and innovation. While the unemployment figures remain stubbornly high, there is significant churn in the labour market with new jobs being created daily.
The Action Plan for Jobs 2012 delivered on 92 per cent of the actions set out in the Plan on time. The APJ 2013, which was published today, outlines 333 actions to be implemented by 16 Departments and 46 Agencies before the end of the year and a similar record of success is expected.
The Plan contains a number of measures known as Disruptive Reforms, the aim of which is to have a significantly boost job creation potential for the people of Cork and across Ireland. Among them are the JobsPlus initiative, which will see the State pay €1 of every €4 it costs an employer to recruit a long-term unemployed person, measures to encourage Irish SMEs to increase their online trading activity and a plan to which will see Ireland producing more ICT graduates as a percentage of all third level graduates than anywhere else in Europe by 2018.
There is a continued focus on ensuring that SMEs can get access to the credit they need to create and retain jobs. In addition to the lending targets for the pillar banks being increased to €4 billion this year, the Credit Review Office, which overturns half of all credit refusals it reviews, is being strengthened and a public interest director in each of the pillar banks will have specific reporting responsibility on SME lending, as requested by the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD. By the end of the year €2 billion in new Government finance schemes will also be in place.
Getting the country back to work is the primary focus and biggest challenge facing our Government. By ensuring that all Departments are charged with responsibility for identifying the best way to create jobs, we will achieve our goal of increasing the number of new jobs by 100,000 by 2016 and getting the people of Cork back to work.