Job growth expected to be 2.5%

Employment growth in the next 10 years is expected to rise by 2.5%.

This is far below the Celtic Tiger years, when employment growth was at 5%.

The annual forecast of the Economic and Social Research Institute, published today, shows more jobs will be created in the service industry, but the building sector will suffer.

ESRI economist Jerry Sexton said: "Industrial employment is likely to stay flat.

"There will be a reduction, probably, in the building industry. The huge surge which has occurred recently in activity there couldn’t possibly be maintained over the rest of this decade."