Despite the recent wave of job-loss announcements, the number of workers made redundant in February fell by almost 20 per cent when compared to the same month last year.
According to figures released yesterday, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment was notified of 1,581 redundancies last month, down from 1,970 in February 2005.
However, this slowdown follows a surge in lay-offs in January. The number of redundancies recorded so far this year - 4,373 - remains slightly ahead of the same period 12 months ago.
The manufacturing sector has borne the brunt of redundancies this year, accounting for roughly one-third of all job cuts. Construction workers have also been hit, with more than 500 builders and civil engineers let go over the first two months of 2007.
The financial services sector has not been immune to job losses either, with more than 200 banking, finance and insurance workers made redundant.
The Department's figures relate to redundancies that have already occurred, so the most recent announcements of impending job losses may not have filtered through to these statistics.
Telecoms equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent recently announced plans to axe 70 jobs at its Irish operation, while Vodafone is seeking 80 voluntary redundancies. In Cork, the closure of Motorola's plant is likely to result in the loss of 350 high-end jobs.
