Waterford in ‘dire’ need of job creation
Waterford city and county needs special attention in the area of enterprise and job creation, according to Brian O’Shea Labour Party spokesman on community, rural and gaeltacht affairs.
“The city and county has seen a steady erosion of traditional manufacturing while no major new projects have been secured,” said Mr O’Shea.
An indicator of the slow pace of employment progress in Co Waterford was the low level of new commercial developments for which planning permission was sought. Of a total of 1,800 planning applications in the county over a 12-month period, only 93 had a commercial element, Mr O’Shea said.
Dungarvan competing commercially with surrounding towns, such as Youghal, Clonmel and
Fermoy. Traditional employment in areas such as food–processing, leather tanning and crystal manufacturing has been badly hit in recent times by the closure of the cheese factory in Kilmeaden, the Michell Ireland tannery in Portlaw and the Waterford Crystal in Dungarvan.
Unemployment in Dungarvan in West Waterford is the highest in ten years.
Enterprise, Trade and Employment Minister Micheál Martin confirmed that the number of jobs lost in Waterford by Enterprise Ireland companies for the years 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 were 527, 269, 549 and 583 respectively. The number of jobs lost in
Waterford by IDA client companies for the same years was 241, 174, 339 and 132.
Forfas figures indicate a net gain in jobs in IDA supported companies in Co Waterford in the same period from 5,334 in 2002 to 5,800 in 2005.
Enterprise Ireland supported companies lost 482 jobs and employed 5,246 people in 2005. The closure of Waterford Crystal in Dungarvan accounted for most of the losses.
TD Brian O’Shea emphasised the need for a major injection of capital and the need to reduce the legal complexities in relation to infrastructural state funded schemes. He said job creation has been hampered by lack of infrastructure, such as the availability of broadband, particularly in rural areas, the need for better water and sewerage services, as well as the provision of new hotel accommodation in areas of West Waterford with good potential for the development of tourism.
“At the same time we are suffering a ‘brain-drain’ with well qualified young people going elsewhere for work, rather than being retained here,” he said.
From the beginning of 2003 to date, Enterprise Ireland approved support of over 8.4 million and made payments of over 8 million for industry in Co Waterford in areas such as R&D, capability-building and process development.
Enterprise Ireland also provides support to companies engaging the internationalisation activities.
