Tag Archives: jobs

Beckman Coulter, the biomedical testing company, has announced it is to close its Galway facility transferring production to other facilities, with the largest component moving to its plant in County Clare. The Galway facility, where Beckman Coulter have been operating for 42 years, employs 140 people. Between 70 and 80 of the jobs based in Galway are expected to transfer to Beckman Coulter’s facility in O’Callaghan’s Mills. In a statement issued by the company Beckman Coulter says it expects to offer incentives to encourage its existing associates to accept positions in Clare. “The Galway production will be phased out over the next 12 to 15 months and the facility is expected to close by the end of 2015,” a spokesperson for the company said. Beckman Coulter has been in County Clare for the past nine years, having acquired the diagnostics business of Olympus corporation. By Carol Byrne

AFTER some difficult years, which saw significant job losses at Shannon, the pendulum has now swung the other way, with hundreds of vacancies in local companies. Speaking in the Senate recently, Shannon’s Tony Mulcahy said there are now hundreds of jobs available in the town and local business figures agree that things have definitely turned after a very severe recession. As the legislation on the independence of Shannon Airport went through the upper house, Senator Mulcahy said, “Between 600 and 800 jobs are currently being advertised on the industrial estate and I have no doubt that, in seven or eight years, there will be up to 8,000 jobs available.” When he spoke to The Clare Champion on Tuesday, he outlined numerous companies that are now looking for new employees. “Wipro are hiring, they’re the old Halifax and they’ll be hiring people in September. Pepper Finance are hiring. EI have been taking people on all the time and they’re one of …

CALLS were made to have the recruitment embargo on the employment of local authority workers lifted at a meeting of Clare County Council. Councillor Christy Curtin raised a motion calling for an update on staffing and budgetary matters arising from the newly established Municipal District Offices and Local Enterprise Office and Service Centre. Meanwhile, Councillor PJ Ryan asked the council to request the relevant minister to lift the embargo on the employment of local authority workers. Councillor Curtin asked for a time-frame for alignment of road engineering areas with municipal district areas and the implications for delivery of the road and allied infrastructural services. According to Eddie Power senior executive officer at the Human Resources Department of the council, the realignment of the five roads engineering areas to four roads engineering areas to coincide with the new Municipal Districts of Shannon, Ennis, West Clare and Killaloe has been completed. “An adjustment at operational level to the functional areas of SGSS’s …

ENTERPRISE Ireland figures for 2013 show that the Mid-West was the agency’s worst performing region and client companies delivered a net gain of just one additional job in the Banner County. While much has been made of Ireland’s prospering export sector, the figures show the benefits are not being seen in Clare to the extent they are in some other parts of the country. County Councillor James Breen has reacted by claiming Clare is becoming a “poor relation” in terms of jobs and that the county’s Oireachtas members are not delivering. Enterprise Ireland is the government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. It published its annual report and accounts on Thursday of last week, which showed 2013 results as the best performance in over a decade in terms of net job creation. The report showed a net increase in full-time employment of 3,620 across its six regions. While each one showed some level …

By CAROL BYRNE THERE is a reduction in those signing on the live register in East Clare this past year but with very little economic growth locally, Councillor Pat Hayes is calling for something to be done to deal with the 1,271 who remain unemployed there. While there are 183 less people signing on at the Tulla social welfare office in February 2013 when there were 1,454 people signing on than in February 2014, Councillor Hayes says he cannot account for the reduction. The Tulla social welfare office caters to its local community and extends to O’Callaghan’s Mills, Scariff, Whitegate, Feakle, Kilkishen, Bodyke, Broadford, Feakle, Ogonnelloe, Kilmurry and parts of Sixmilebridge. Councillor Hayes said the feeling on the ground is that there is no employment being created across East Clare, and the spending power is going from communities. “Young people have left, and people don’t have any money to spend in the local economy. When you don’t have jobs, you …

By Owen Ryan THERE were fewer people on the live register in Clare last month than was the case in any month of March since 2008. Figures from the Central Statistics Office showed that last month there were 9,023 people signing on in the Banner county, down from 9,242 in February. That drop of 239 equates to a drop of 2.5% in a single month, and, when compared to the figure of 9,869 in March of last year, the decline in the number signing on is slightly over 8.5% in one year. Comparing the figures for the month of March over the last number of years is quite telling. In March 2007, with the country still in rude economic health, there were just 4,102 people on the live register. Twelve months later, the number was almost 25% higher at 5,126. Over the next year, the economy would decline dramatically and, in March of 2009, the number on the live register …

By CAROL BYRNE THE new Dublin Coach service which started motoring recently from Ennis to the capital will result in up to 50 permanent jobs when the company wheels out its new Quicktours packages from Ennis. Speaking at the launch of the newly extended service, Dublin Coach owner and Kilrush native John O’Sullivan said he views Ennis as a “tourism hub”. At the event held at the Templegate Hotel on Thursday it was highlighted that the route created a gateway between Ennis, Limerick, Kildare and Dublin enabling the free flow of visitors and greater partnership between each location. “Ultimately this service provides Ennis and Clare with the platform to maximise on the increased arriving into Shannon and Dublin Airport but equally the domestic consumer who is responsible for the greatest volume,” a spokesperson for Dublin Coach. It is envisaged that the new service will result in up to 50 permanent jobs when the company rolls out their new Quicktours packages …

WHILE Clare Labour TD Michael McNamara has welcomed the establishment of Local Enterprise Offices in each local authority with more funding, more staff and more services, he still maintains the IDA needs to do more on the jobs front. Deputy McNamara said he was hopeful that the fusion of local authority and county enterprise board effort under the guidance of Enterprise Ireland will lead to the creation of new local businesses and jobs. “The plan which will combine new supports with business services currently delivered by the enterprise boards is a good one. A “first-stop shop” located in local authority offices makes sense. There will also be additional services including a new Young Entrepreneurship Fund, Microfinance Ireland, Credit Guarantee Scheme, and access to services from Revenue and Department of Social Protection,” he said. However, Deputy McNamara said that local effort can only achieve so much and the IDA needs to be much more pro-active in Co. Clare where foreign direct …