New Minimum Wage from 1st February

The new national minimum wage rate takes effect from 1 February and sets the new rate at €7.65 per hour. The latest data from the Central Statistics Office shows that about 47,000 workers, or 3.1% of the employed labour force, are paid at or below the current adult experienced worker rate of €8.65 per hour. Even after the reduction to €7.65 per hour, the new rate will remain in the top tier of minimum wage rates set by European Union member states and 12% above the rate in Northern Ireland.

Oh for Fas sake!

The staff of the Community Welfare Service of the HSE and both staff and responsibility for the policy direction and funding of the employment services and community employment services programmes of FÁS were transferred to the Department of Social Protection on 1 January. The relevant staff and resources, such as buildings, will be fully integrated with the staff and structure of the Department over the coming months. The aim is to provide a more complete service to people on the Live Register. When the integration programme is complete, FÁS will cease to have any role in the provision of employment and community employment programmes and will focus on the provision of training services. This means that, as well as income support, the Department of Social Protection will now focus on assisting people to find employment and to prepare themselves for entry into the labour market by accessing training, career advice, work experience and job placement.

Losing Your Job?

Losingyourjob.ie is a useful new resource provided by the Citizens Information Board. This microsite provides public service information for those who are currently unemployed or are becoming unemployed in Ireland.

Dude! Where's my job?

At People Matters we often meet people who say there are ‘no jobs’. While the number on the Live Register continues to rise there have been some significant jobs announcements during the past 50 days:

· AA Ireland is recruiting up to 40 employees for its financial services offices in Dublin.

· Citi, which has been operating in Ireland for 45 years and already employs more than 2,200 workers in Dublin and Waterford hired 300 workers in the past 12 months (some on fixed term contracts) and plans to recruit 250 more.

· Irish-owned ClearStream Technologies in Enniscorthy will create 70 new jobs over the next three years in product engineering, research and development, manufacturing, and sales and marketing.

· Food nutrition company Danone announced an investment that will create more than 40 new jobs in food science, engineering and supply chain management in Cork. A major expansion of its processing facility in Macroom will also see up to 200 people employed during the construction phase of the expansion which is set to begin this month.

· Goodman Medical Ireland will create 115 new positions in manufacturing, sales and marketing, and research and development over the next five years in the Mervue Business Park plant in Galway.

· Murex, a French financial software firm, will create 30 new jobs in software development, business development and consulting in South Dublin.

· Quest Software is to set up an international shared services centre in Cork city and 150 new jobs will come on stream over the next three years.

IDA Ireland aims to create 9,800 direct and 6,800 indirect jobs next year through foreign direct investments. Enterprise Ireland’s target is for 6,300 direct jobs and 4,400 spin-off jobs through export-led Irish firms during 2011.