Irish jobs at foreign multinationals in 2010 were
at 1998 level while employment in the Irish-owned tradeable sector was also back
to 1998, according to a report published on Wednesday.
The
Annual Employment Survey produced by State policy advisory agency, Forfás,
provides an analysis of employment levels in industrial (including Primary
Production) and services companies under the remit of enterprise agencies IDA
Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Shannon Development and Údarás na Gaeltachta - -
the firms in effect are in the internationally tradeable goods and services
sectors of the economy, including firms that sell domestically but have
potential to export.
Full-time employment at foreign-owned firms in
2010 was 139,308; it was 139,233 in 1998. Full-time employment at Irish-owned
firms in the tradeable goods/services sectors was 136,385 in 2010 and 138,376 in
1998.
The workforce expanded 25% or 400,000 people
in the 10 years to 2007 but almost all the net jobs added were bubble jobs in
construction, public sector (led by education and health), domestic business
services, retail, leisure and distribution.
In 2001, there were 316,000 employed in the
internationally tradeable goods and services sectors; there were 321,000
employed in 2007, the last year of the bubble - - a net increase of just
5,000.
In current price terms, exports increased from
€105bn in 2000 to €157bn in 2010.
The Forfás report says total permanent full-time employment in
agency-assisted companies operating in all sectors amounted to 275,693 in 2010.
This is a decrease of 6,521 jobs (2.3%) on employment levels in 2009, and
reflects a softening in the contraction in the economy throughout 2010. It
follows a very substantial 32,362 net job loss in 2009. While there continued to
be employment losses due to plant closures in 2010, approximately four-fifths of
losses are being generated by companies who are continuing to trade but are
reducing their staff numbers.
Total full-time employment among Irish-owned companies amounted
to 136,385 in 2010, a decrease of 4,889 (3.5%) on the previous year. Employment
in Irish-owned firms had increased from 153,869 in 2001 to 164,911 in 2007
(7.2%), but fell by 17.3% (28,526 jobs) from this recent pre-recession peak.
While large full-time employment losses were seen in Irish-owned companies,
there was a continued increase of 8.3% (1,466 jobs) in part-time temporary jobs
in 2010, reinforcing a trend arising in 2009, when many companies reduced
full-time employment and increased part-time employment.
Among foreign-owned companies, total full-time employment
amounted to 139,308 in 2010, a decrease of 1,632 (1.2%) on the previous year. In
2001, employment in foreign-owned firms stood at 162,688 and fell by 7% to
151,342 in 2003 following the dot-com bubble, before recovering again to 156,297
in 2007. Over the recent recession, employment in foreign-owned companies has
decreased by 16,989 (10.9%), over the period 2007-2010 to 139,308. As with
Irish-owned companies, foreign-owned part-time employment also increased
significantly, by 1,897 jobs (14.1%) in 2010.
Full-time employment in all Industrial sector companies declined
from 230,718 in 2001 to 215,375 in 2007 (a fall of 6.7%), while services
employment increased 23.7%, from 85,539 to 105,833 in 2007. Between 2007 and
2010, employment in Industry declined 18.5% from 215,375 to 175,582 during the
recession, while services employment held fairly steady over the same period
(105,833 in 2007; 102,111 in 2010).
There was a net loss of 7,231 jobs (4.0%) between 2009 and 2010
in the Industrial sector. Net job losses occurred in all Industrial sub-sectors
in 2010, with the exception of the Food sector, which showed a modest net gain
of 133 jobs (0.4%). The sectors that showed the most significant net losses were
Non-Metallic Minerals (-971; 14.6%), Construction and Utilities (-815; 11.6%),
Basic & Fabricated Metal Products (-731; 6.7%), Miscellaneous Manufacturing
(-715; 10.3%), and Chemicals (-706; 3.0%).
The services sectors experienced an employment rebound in many
areas, including Computer Consultancy and Other IT and Computer Services
Activities, which recorded increases of 1,025 jobs (4.0%), and 643 jobs (14.1%),
respectively. Business Services were down 634 jobs (4.9%). Financial Services
recorded modest employment losses of 368 jobs (1.8%).
Total employment in the services sectors increased to 102,111 in
2010 which was a net gain of 710 or 0.7% on 2009. This is an increase of 16,272
(19.0%) on 2001 employment levels.
