Long-term employees losing jobs in Northern Ireland
THE Quarry Products Association of Northern Ireland (QPANI) says that despite ‘the green shoots of optimism’, job losses are continuing across the quarry, concrete and roads industry in Northern Ireland.
Statistics from the NI construction industry emphasize the fact that this is the worst operating environment faced by the entire sector in the province in living memory.
The QPANI, which represents 95% of the quarry products industry in Northern Ireland, confirmed that the quarry products sector had lost a further 34 employees in the third quarter of 2009, bringing the total number of jobs lost since the beginning of 2008 to more than 1,400. This represents almost 30% of the industry’s workforce.
‘Obviously, as the main supply industry into local construction and with significant exports to the Irish Republic and Great Britain, our members have been hit badly by the economic downturn,’ said QPANI regional director Gordon Best. ‘We are now at a stage in the industry where those losing their jobs are long-term employees who have worked in the industry for as long as 30 years.’
Moreover, while the latest figures show a continuing haemorrhaging of jobs, they do not include the hundreds of employees who are currently on short-term working.
Warning that the current situation within the construction industry shows no sign of improving in the short-term, Mr Best said it was vital that the Executive and Assembly members identify and focus on the key future spending priorities that will provide a real stimulus to the economy and have the widest possible economic multiplier effect across the community.
In particular, he urged Members of the Legislative Assembly to work with the Association on:
Statistics from the NI construction industry emphasize the fact that this is the worst operating environment faced by the entire sector in the province in living memory.
The QPANI, which represents 95% of the quarry products industry in Northern Ireland, confirmed that the quarry products sector had lost a further 34 employees in the third quarter of 2009, bringing the total number of jobs lost since the beginning of 2008 to more than 1,400. This represents almost 30% of the industry’s workforce.
‘Obviously, as the main supply industry into local construction and with significant exports to the Irish Republic and Great Britain, our members have been hit badly by the economic downturn,’ said QPANI regional director Gordon Best. ‘We are now at a stage in the industry where those losing their jobs are long-term employees who have worked in the industry for as long as 30 years.’
Moreover, while the latest figures show a continuing haemorrhaging of jobs, they do not include the hundreds of employees who are currently on short-term working.
Warning that the current situation within the construction industry shows no sign of improving in the short-term, Mr Best said it was vital that the Executive and Assembly members identify and focus on the key future spending priorities that will provide a real stimulus to the economy and have the widest possible economic multiplier effect across the community.
In particular, he urged Members of the Legislative Assembly to work with the Association on:
- Improvements to the planning process, to ensure that companies wishing to innovate and diversify in the current difficult period are assisted by quick and effective planning decisions.
- Putting more pressure on financial institutions to be more flexible with loans and credit agreements.
- Increasing support for the up-skilling of the workers that employers have managed to retain.
- A radical change to the linking of essential skills with the current adult apprenticeships framework.
- The fast-tracking of key projects, such as wind farm development.
- Improving efficiency in the NI public sector and making it more responsive to the private sector, to facilitate growth and the creation of jobs.
