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AN ANNUAL REPORT from the European Commission has placed Ireland in the top tier of countries for industrial competitiveness.
This puts Ireland alongside the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark in a grouping of countries that are described as having “high and improving competitiveness”.
The report divided EU member states into four groups in relation to current competitiveness and potential for improvement.
Commenting about the news today Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD said:
This report is the latest in a series which show a strong performance by Ireland in international competitiveness. This makes it easier for me, my Department and our agencies to go into boardrooms and convince companies and Governments to buy our goods and services or locate jobs in Ireland.
The report saw Ireland placed ahead of the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain and Luxembourg.
Countries deemed to “modest and stagnating or declining competitiveness” were Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Malta and Cyprus.
The report today also stated that EU member states need to focus making improvements in certain policy areas.
These included making bank credit available to small and young firms, providing support to internationalise SMEs and offsetting energy costs against energy efficiency improvements.
This latest report comes after a raft of recent news supporting Ireland’s strength as a nation in which to do business. A report by the World Economic Forum on global competitiveness last week placed Ireland at 25th in the world, a rise of three places from the year before.
Late last year Ireland was placed first in a Best Countries for Business list by Forbes.
Minister for European Affairs and Data Protection Dara Murphy TD today welcomed the news.
The Government has made this goal our overarching objective since taking office and this report serves to highlight that the strategies we have been implementing are achieving results.
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Strange that 74 people can look at this, but not one could be bothered to comment on a welcome piece of good news that says we are succeeding at something. Or are we just sooooo self-confident that it needs no comment?
Probably cause we all know it’s bullshit.
More. Good news, reminds me of 2004…………
Good! This country generated a legitimate fortune which was thrown away by a stupid, craven, populist government
Pity you have Alzheimer then.
Irish competitiveness was declining precipitously in 2004 and essentially constantly declining from the turn of the millennium.
A yes vote in Scotland might change things
This news is another installment of fairytale economics where distortions caused by the foreign-owned sector are used as propaganda by ministers to fool the public.
Prof Honohan, governor of the Central Bank has warned about the misuse of distorted productivity data by “superficial analysts.”
The report says: “In pharmaceutical products – - a sector characterised by high technology intensity – - labour productivity grew more than labour compensation over the period, giving rise to negative ULC (unit labour cost) growth, on average, between 2007 and 2012.”
US-owned drugs and mediucal devices firms account for 60% of merchandise exports and job levels have remained unchanged over a decade.
This is why Ireland has the highest labour productivity per person employed in manufacturing – it has nothing whatsover got to do with antything done by Bruton or Murphy.
The idiot/ eejit’s guide to distorted Irish national economic data:
http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1028148.shtml
Indicates just how far workers rights have fallen of the agenda, look at greyhound if you want to see what competitiveness really means, accept over 30% of a pay cut! or we will lock you out from your job. We need to be competitive, but do we need to allow workers to be treated so shamefully.
Am guessing the people who gave my previous remark a red thumb, will not be imposing a wage cut of a third tomorrow in the interests of greater Irish competitiveness.
If they do the 1% will no doubt enjoy the joke!
Yes I believe India and Africa were at the cutting edge of this competitiveness, it’s called cheap labour and wage slaves – welcome to globalisation Ireland – austerity and immigration, just what the corporate class ordered.
Imagine if some of the government levies and taxes were removed? Amazing how these are never mentioned by ministers in articles like this. Take some of tax from fuel for example..?
Great news
Ah blow it out ya tubes, more BS spin…
you mean ireland is the biggest slut in europe.
Can we ease get rid of all this crap and forget about our competitiveness and sort ourselves out!
We’re starting to become delusional again!
Please
Whoop, whoop, whoop – big shwingin Micky
We should compare to China as they are a factory for the world and we buy our products from China. What items can we produce cheaper than China?
This is another spin as the figures are selective and the comparisons are not very informative.
Statistics damn statistics.
@nickcaffery excellent comment but dont worry thank god we have enough optimists and doers in this country to carry the rest of the moaners and whingers ull find a considersble amount of those pains in the f@#king hole commenting here.
This country is nothing more that symbolic hamster wheel. Won’t be long before the banks are throwing money at the young and stupid again.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA and we will fall for this shite again
What I think is interesting is that Denmark, high taxation, high level of social services, low crime rate etc. is included in the top 3 with Ireland and Germany. Goes to show you can be competitive and not screw the people at the same time perhaps?
O to be young and stupid
have your say