The Action Plan for Jobs – Where Are We Now?
The Action Plan for Jobs – Where Are We Now?
The Action Plan for Jobs 2013 was the second in a series of annual Actions Plans which aim to accelerate jobs growth and “get the country working again”. It set out a number of targets, some broad, some quite specific. The plan envisages making Ireland the most attractive location in the world for ICT skills, drawing skills from abroad, transforming Ireland into the most energy efficient economy in Europe by 2020 and supporting employment at the community and local level.
Specific objectives include increasing the number of students taking Higher Level Maths to 30%, increasing the number of businesses trading online through voucher schemes, boosting the JobsPlus Initiative, doubling employment in the film and audiovisual sector by 2016 and the development of an International Aviation Services Centre in Shannon.
So have these ambitious aims been achieved?
It appears they have. In the first quarter of 2013, all but 6 of the measures due to be implemented have been delivered on schedule, giving a completion rate of 96%.
Achievements include an additional 2,000 ICT graduate-level places being provided for in the coming year, processing time for employment permits being reduced by 33%, approval being secured for the creation of an Energy Efficiency Fund and the scheduling of a number of international visits and events targeting trade and investment for Ireland.
It is clear that the 2013 Action Plan is on the road to being a success and this signals a turning point in the fortunes of jobseekers around the country. This success also instills hope in the wider public that the economy is slowly being transformed from, in the words of Enda Kenny, “one based on property speculation to one based on enterprise, exports and innovation.”