1054. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he is aware of reports that a manufacturing plant (details supplied) is due to close, resulting in job losses in a small rural community where the impact would be particularly devastating; the engagement his Department has had with the company regarding its future; the supports and assistance that will be made available to affected workers and their families; whether he will activate the State's job loss response protocol and other relevant employment support measures in response to the proposed closure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57782/26]

As Minister for Enterprise Tourism and Employment my first concern at any announcement on the loss of jobs is the impact on workers and the local community affected.

The Department is constantly monitoring labour market developments across our economy. Job losses are always a concern given the potential impact on lives and livelihoods.  A particular priority is to have balanced regional development and the strong relationship between employment, incomes and living standards is integral to this.

The latest official data on the labour market from the Central Statistics Office point to a very high level of employment across the economy, with total employment at 2.8 million persons. Over the course of last year, employment grew by close to 60,200 extra jobs. Similarly, the most recent unemployment data, show an unemployment rate of 5.0% in June, relative to 4.6% a year ago. These are historically low rates of unemployment and high rates of employment.

The labour market remains tight and close to effective full employment conditions. However, every job loss is regrettable, and my foremost concern is that we create an environment in which those impacted have an opportunity to quickly find alternative work.

I am constantly engaging with the broad enterprise sector under my remit, as well as our development agencies and colleagues across Government, on the impact of any job announcements, including redundancies, right across our economy. Ireland has a robust suite of employment rights legislation to protect and support workers in redundancy situations.

The Protection of Employment Act 1977, as amended, places obligations on employers proposing collective redundancies, which arise when certain thresholds are met. Employers must carry out a 30-day information and consultation process with employees’ representatives on such proposals.

In the event of significant job losses, the enterprise development agencies, with other support agencies at a local level, move to implement the Job Loss Protocol. This provides a coordinated response by relevant Government Departments and agencies at a local level to support impacted employees.