Over 1,200 new jobs were created by companies in the Gaeltacht last year, according to an end-of-year statement released by Údarás na Gaeltachta.
Pádraig Ó hAolain, chief executive of Údarás na Gaeltachta said today that he was encouraged to see the containment of job losses in Irish-speaking areas but warned that the current economic climate is creating difficulties for Gaeltacht firms.
Overall, a total of 1,269 full-time positions were created in 2008 while 1,020 other jobs were approved and are expected to come on-stream over the next three years.
Total employment in Údarás na Gaeltachta assisted companies now stands at 8,193.
Traditional manufacturing employment in Údarás assisted firms declined by 5.5 per cent last year. However the modern manufacturing, services and audio-visual and independent TV production sectors increased by 9.7 per cent.
Employment in the services industry in particular now accounts for 3,046 jobs or 37 per cent of the total number of jobs in the region.
Údarás na Gaeltachta, which is the regional authority responsible for the economic, social and cultural development of the Gaeltacht, warned that companies in the Irish-speaking areas are struggling in the current climate.
“There is no doubt that 2009 will be a challenging year for job maintenance and creation in the Gaeltacht as it will be nationally,” the authority said in its annual statement.
“It will be a major challenge for us to meet our development and employment targets. The reduced level of funding available from the exchequer, the decline in the sale of assets and the deteriorating economic climate may impair the organisations ability to achieve its job-targets. Job approvals for the first half of the year are expected to be low as the organisation focuses on employment maintenance and reserves resources for what is forecast to be a more difficult second half of the year.”
Údarás na Gaeltachta said a range of support measures would be offered to local companies to improve their competitiveness, especially those experiencing severe market pressures.
