Ireland’s Role in the Changing Nature of Manufacturing

Forfás, the policy advisory body for Ireland, has announced a report describing the changing nature of manufacturing and services in Ireland and the world. Although international trade has been central to the success of the Irish economy, Ireland faces two main challenges in competing in this arena.

First, to develop specialization in sectors that yield the greatest value-added, and second, to produce those goods and services with the greatest efficiency possible. Key policy areas that are being addressed include: cost competitiveness and productivity; innovation and technology; skills and training; management skills; market and customer intelligence; and a more targeted approach to supporting small companies with the ambition to pursue significant growth.

The report, The Changing Nature of Manufacturing and Services: Irish Trends and International Context, is intended to serve as a stimulus for informed discussion and evidence-based policy making. For a copy of the report, visit http://www.forfas.ie/publications/show/pub237.html

(Many thanks to Southern Compass for passing this along. Russ)