The number of redundancies notified to the Department of Enterprise and Employment increased in May to 2,037. The rise, from 1,912 in April, signals the end of a downward trend in notified redundancies that has been in evidence since the start of the year.

However, the figure is well down from the recent peak of 3,307 notified redundancies in May last year.

The level of "notified redundancies" fell in the early part of 2003, but recent closures appear to have pushed the figures up again. The figures come from the Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which has to be notified each month by companies making staff redundant.

While the increase for May will worry the Government and job creation agencies like FÁS, the picture was even bleaker in May 2002 when 3,307 people were made redundant.

In recent weeks there have been a spate of job closures, although the numbers involved in each case have been relatively small. The Galway-based Royal Tara Fine Bone China company announced it was to close with the loss of 80 jobs last month, due to increased costs and competition from Asia.

The first lay-offs will take place by the end of July. The factory will close its doors altogether in December.

Workers at the Gallaher cigarette manufacturing plant in Tallaght, south Dublin, recently heard about a decision by the company to close the facility a loss of 121 jobs.

The Dublin job losses are part of a broader restructuring of the Gallaher Group's European operations.