The Small Firms Association (SFA) has claimed that 48% of all jobs lost in Ireland so far this year were outside the Dublin region.
The SFA's Autumn Statement shows that 465 people have lost their jobs each week since the beginning of the year, with Cork, Kerry and the mid-west being the hardest hit.
Director of the SFA Pat Delaney said that it was more difficult for areas outside Dublin, and away from the east coast, to replace jobs: “It is very, very difficult in parts of Ireland to replace existing jobs with new investment, because we haven’t seen spatial development, we haven’t seen balanced regional development and we’re not likely to see that in the short term.”