Jobs have been lost but others gained: Martin

ENTERPRISE Minister Micheál Martin has said he hopes the 350 workers who are to lose their jobs at Motorola can avail of some of the 2,800 jobs announced in the past 12 months by the IDA in the Cork region.

However, there are now real fears that Ireland is losing its ability to not only secure but also to keep some of the multinational companies providing thousands of jobs across this country.

The Central Bank has warned that inflation is an increasing risk to our export competitiveness — that price levels in this country are already the highest in the euro area. Any further rise in inflation will put pressure on the country’s ability to compete, it warns.