€7bn plan could create 80,000 jobs

A €7 billion scaled multi-year investment — in a number of key socio-economic areas — could have the power to generate over 80,000 new jobs, boost the Government’s annual tax take by nearly €3bn and provide annual economic growth.

Such a three-year investment programme has been proposed by social and economic think-tank and lobby group Social Justice Ireland, which has warned that “without investment there will be no jobs, without jobs there will be no recovery and without recovery Ireland will be stuck in austerity”.

While much of what the group is proposing is already contained in the Government’s long-term plans, Social Justice Ireland wants those plans fast-tracked; saying such investment — in things like renewable energy, social housing, care facilities, school and healthcare facilities, water services, roads and childhood care and education — could boost economic growth by 2% next year, 2.3% in 2015 and by 1.1% in 2016.