Looking to catch up on this week's jobs news? Look no further, we've three stories to know about this week.

Looking to hire, but worried about costs and the time it will take to source the right candidate? Did you know your local Intreo centre can help? We've details of available supports and how to find out more.

Funding is always a key concern for small business, whether starting out or expanding. We've put together this handy guide with all you need to know about financial supports provided by your Local Enterprise Office.

2015 was a record year for Enterprise Ireland-supported new start-ups with a total direct Enterprise Ireland investment commitment of €31m in start-ups. Find out more about these companies, and their future plans.

With a creative background in the music industry, Lucy Clarke decided to open a children's clothes business. She talks working in a niche industry, challenges of running a business, and how her local LEO helped along the way.

As Microfinance Ireland announces all-time high lending of €5.4 million in funding to 357 businesses across every county in 2015, we take a look at how businesses can avail of their loans.

Year end results show small businesses are putting SBCI funding to work, with over 4,600 loans drawn down since March 2015. We've all the details.

Find out how changes to the Credit Guarantee Bill will make it easier for SMEs to get access to credit, and we've details of things to know about applying for the Scheme.

As SBCI announces over 4,600 businesses have drawn down SBCI loans in 2015, we take a look at how one Dublin company used its funding to build a convenience food business.

With 5,125 new jobs announced in January, we're taking a look at some of the large-scale announcements, and where to go for more information.

 

Government Programmes

There are two complementary, Government-wide plans to tackle the jobs challenge:

APJ 2015Action Plan for Jobs
Find out how Government Departments and Agencies work together to improve conditions for creating jobs.


Pathways to Work

Check out the Government’s four-year strategy to radically reduce the number of people on the Live Register.