Nearly 100,000 Redundancies in Four Years

6 Jan 2006

Nearly 100,000 Redundancies in Four years

The latest figures from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) show that 23,156 redundancies occurred in 2005. This brings the total number of redundancies to 98,398 in the past four years, which is almost twice the number for the previous four years of 51,119.

‘Alongside very significant economic growth, Ireland has suffered unprecedented levels of redundancy in the very recent past. Almost 100,000 people have received redundancy payments since 2002’ said Eric Conroy, General Secretary INOU.

‘It is important to recognise that the level of job losses is worse than the redundancy figures portray’ Mr. Conroy added. ‘These figures do not include employees with less than two years' eligible service with an employer, employees who are under 16 years of age or who have reached the qualifying age for an old age pension.

The INOU is calling for an assessment of the effectiveness (or otherwise) of taskforces to secure replacement jobs and the re-introduction of a Pay Related Unemployment Payment, which would go some way to cushioning the blow of redundancy.

‘We believe an assessment of the effectiveness of taskforces established to secure replacement jobs is long overdue. People who have lost their jobs in 2005 (and previously) will want to know what was done to replace their jobs. As importantly, it would provide the state agencies with vital information as to how most effectively to replace large scale job losses’ Eric Conroy said. ‘The loss of a job, and consequent reduction in income, can have a devastating impact both on the individual and their family. With such high levels of redundancy it is vital that the Government look at re-introducing Pay Related Social Insurance’ added Mr. Conroy.

Year ..... Actual Redundancies
1998 ... 11,986
1999 ... 12,249
2000 ... 10,799
2001 ... 16,085
2002 ... 24,432
2003 ... 25,769
2004 ... 25,041
2005 ... 23,156