STOCK MARKET WATCH -- Monday, 13 February 2012

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41. Government plan to create 100,000 new jobs by 2016 {ireland}

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0213/breaking21.html

A Government plan designed to promote the creation of 100,000 jobs over the next four years has been published today.

The Action Plan for Jobs 2012 seeks to help companies expand their scope for exporting goods; provide credit to small and medium sized enterprises; improve competitiveness; and attract more international investment to Ireland.

The plan contains over 270 actions that the Government said would be implemented this year across 15 departments and 36 State agencies. A number of the initiatives are connected to measures introduced in Budget 2012, when the banking sector was restructured last March or announced at the Global Irish Economic Forum last year.

Small firms group Isme said the plan was a disappointment. "Once more this Government have flattered to deceive, with very little that is new or innovative and certainly will have minimal effect on immediate job creation, being long on aspiration and tragically short on real dynamic action," it said.