WITH the manufacturing sector in steep decline, the loss of 280 more jobs, almost half the workforce at the Procter and Gamble plant in Nenagh, is a psychological blow to the Irish economy and a body blow to a region where more than 1,200 workers have been made redundant in recent times.

Eighty people are to be made redundant at Bourns Electronics in Mahon, Co Cork, it emerged this afternoon.

Cork is set to face further job losses with Bourns Electronics looking at a possible 50 redundancies.