Govt to unveil new jobs plan

The Government will unveil its Action Plan on Jobs later today, which aims to create 100,000 new jobs over the next four years.

The plan, prepared by Jobs Minister Richard Bruton, contains over 250 measures and will be monitored by a committee at the Department of the Taoiseach.

Fifteen government departments and 30 state agencies are involved in drawing up and implementing the plan.

It focuses on four key areas including supporting indigenous businesses, competition, encouraging foreign direct investment, and the targeting of the ICT and financial services sectors.

The Irish Times says the Government is also particularly interested in encouraging more co-operation with companies in the life sciences area, with nine out of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies currently operating out of Ireland.

A monitoring committee will be set up to make sure all measures in the plan are being implemented - and staff from FORFAS have been drafted in to offer their expertise.