IN 2007, then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern greeted the loss of 330 Motorola jobs in Cork with the response: “Thankfully, unlike in years past when we set up taskforces that were able, in reality, to do very little, in the last six or seven years we have been able to send in taskforces that can train, retrain, skill and upskill.”

GENERAL Semiconductors Ireland, which closed in Macroom with the loss of 670 jobs made losses of almost $56 million in its final year of operation, accounts lodged with the Companies Registration Office (CRO) reveal.

The Tanaiste is moving to allay fears of the 50,000 people working in the IT sector.