Minister Mitchell O’Connor publishes first progress report on the Regional Action Plans for Jobs: Dublin
22nd December 2016
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Ms Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, has published the first progress report on the Regional Action Plan for Jobs: Dublin. The progress reports was prepared by the Dublin Regional Implementation Committee established to oversee and monitor implementation of the measures contained in the Plan. The report outlines progress made on measures due for completion up to and including the first half of 2016, as well as progress made on measures that are ongoing during the period of the Action Plans.
According to the Minister, “A key objective of the Regional Plan initiative is to have a further 10 to 15 per cent at work in each region by 2020, with the aim of having the unemployment rate of each region within one per cent of the national average. While at an early stage, the progress reports reflect the good work made to date in the implementation of all 8 Regional APJs and creating a supportive environment for jobs growth in the regions.”
“The Plans have been embraced within the regions and completion rates for actions within the first Progress Reports are in excess of 90% for each region. Collaboration between the private and the public sector has been a core element in each plan’s development, and will be central to each plan’s delivery. Based on current data, all regions are on target to meet or exceed the job targets to be delivered by 2020.”
Highlights from the progress report include:
- IDA Ireland has had very significant success in attracting new projects to the Dublin area and also in securing expansion projects by companies already located in the capital. Examples of these recent investments include: Amazon, Facebook, Paypal and Oracle (Action 1)
- 9 projects in the Dublin region have been successful in securing funding through two Enterprise Ireland Regional Competitive Calls (Action 8)
- The hosting of Enterprise Week across the Dublin region to raise awareness of supports and services available and to stimulate networking and engagement (Action 19)
- The hosting of the European Financial Forum reinforces Ireland's standing as a recognised global location for international financial services (Action 23)
- Manufacturing International Conference held in June in Dublin which brought together leaders across the manufacturing sectors to discuss the future of manufacturing and showcase successful Irish manufacturing technologies and processes (Action 34)
- The establishment of a Skills Forum to connect education providers with employers and industry on an on-going basis to collaborate in building the skills of the region (Action 61)
- The launch earlier this year of the Smart Dublin initiative which will put Dublin on the path to be a world-leading city in a smart technology economy (Actions 81 -84)
The Minister said: “External shocks, such as Brexit, have the potential to impact on regional job delivery in the future. However, the Plans are flexible and dynamic and can be adapted to address Brexit challenges and opportunities arising within the regions. In this context, Brexit remains a standing item on the agenda for the meetings of all Regional APJ Implementation Committees.”
The Minister concluded, “To support the regional jobs agenda, I have ensured that additional funds will be made available through the enterprise development agencies on a rolling basis out to 2020. Last June, I announced an initial allocation of €5m in competitive funding for 48 local and regional initiatives under two of these calls. All regions benefited under this initiative.
"In addition, as part of this process, my Department and Enterprise Ireland are currently finalising plans for a €40m regional funding initiative in respect of a large scale fund aimed at supporting significant innovative and collaborative projects and activities, and a further €5m competitive regional fund initiative to support the development of community-based enterprises and networks that have the potential to grow and sustain jobs in their area.
"€150m is also being made available to the IDA to support its Regional Property Programme and drive job creation in the multinational sector.”
Related Document:
Progress Report (H1 2016) - Action Plan for Jobs: Dublin (1375 KB)
