Business leaders have warned that the loss of more than 1,500 jobs over the past 10 days is a timely reminder of the troubles currently facing the Irish economy.
Yesterday’s lay-offs in Cork and Offaly were the latest in a spate of job losses over the past nine months and the Small Firms Association has warned that unemployment will rise further unless Ireland remains competitive for businesses.
SFA director Pat Delaney said: "It’s clear that as an economy we’re pricing ourselves out of many markets and we have to get back to finding a way that we can become more competitive. Irish workers and Irish products are now too expensive for world markets."