merrion street

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, today (Friday) welcomed CSO figures showing that, on a seasonally adjusted basis, goods exports in July increased by 6% on the June figure.

The statistics also show that:

· The seasonally adjusted trade surplus at just under €4billion increased by over 12% in July as compared to June

· Exports in July 2012, at almost €8billion, showed a 13% increase over the July 2011

· Exports to key target markets increased on an annual basis – including Russia (+16%) , India (+25%) and China (+11%)

· Exports of Organic Chemicals increased by 38% and of medical and pharmaceutical products by 6%

The Minister said:

"The Government is implementing its plan to rebuild an economy based on enterprise and exports, and the transition from the old, failed economy based on property and debt is well underway. Total exports achieved a record €173billion last year, a 10% increase on the highest pre-crisis figure. Employment in the exporting sectors started to grow in 2011 for the first time after three years in which 40,000 jobs were lost, and the multinational exporting sector has shown an increase of 9,000 jobs since then.

"Today’s figures show that the strong export performance is continuing. This is the latest in a growing list of positive signs in the international environment. I am determined to keep improving supports for exporters and reducing costs through continued implementation of the Action Plan for Jobs. In this way we can accelerate the transition to a sustainable economy, keep growing our exports, and create the jobs we need".

Contact details:

Press Office, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, Ph: 631 2200 Fax: 6312828, www.djei.ie