Robinson's budgetary plan blunted by Seagate

Belfast Briefing:Jobs are a very emotive subject in the North - in the past it is fair to say that in some cases who you were and what you were dictated the type of job you could get.

It was a fact of life that if you were from a certain religious persuasion some doors would never be open to you - regardless of your ability or talent.

Those days are long gone in Northern Ireland.

Today Northern Ireland celebrates talent, skills and ability regardless of anything else and the North's new Government is banking on the talents and skills of its people to create a better economy.

Yesterday, Northern Ireland suffered a major economic set- back with the announcement by Seagate Technologies that it will close one of its operations in the North with the loss of 900 jobs.

Seagate plans to shut its Limavady facility, which produces nickel-plated aluminium substrates, next year because it is no longer competitive.

It is by no means a new investor to the area - it has been there for 10 years and boasts an internationally recognised Research Centre of Excellence.

The jobs blow comes less than a week since the Finance Minister Peter Robinson unveiled his first and extremely ambitious budget - in it he set out targets to create 6,000 new jobs in the North by 2011.

The decision by Seagate to close its facility in Limavady is a particularly bitter blow given the Northern Ireland Executive's desire to woo new investment to the North with a carefully crafted package of financial incentives and a new programme for government which will see investment directed where it is needed most.

In the past, the way public money was spent in Northern Ireland was dictated by British politicians.

Not any more, as Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness pointed out, the North is now "truly under new management".

The Finance Minister wants to create an environment that will make new investors want to come to Northern Ireland not just for the business opportunities but for the quality of life it can offer - and all against the backdrop of peace.

The United States is currently the largest foreign investor in the North - more than 100 US companies have made substantial investments particularly in the northwest area where Seagate, Dupont and Stream are among the biggest employers.

The North wants to attract more potential new US investors to come and visit the region for the first time at a major investment conference in Belfast next spring. Peter Robinson has a simple mission statement - in his words, politicians in the North "face the challenge of building a stronger, more vibrant economy that offers a better and more secure future for everyone in Northern Ireland."

He wants to try and kickstart the economy by earmarking investment in four key areas - skills, enterprise, innovation and infrastructure.

Research from PricewaterhouseCoopers shows Northern Ireland has traditionally the lowest business start-up rate in the United Kingdom. Next month Invest Northern Ireland, the regional economic development agency, plans to organise an Enterprise Week, during which it hopes to "stimulate a spirit of entrepreneurship".

Seagate Technology said its decision to abandon 10 years of investment in Limavady was made on the basis that the plant was no longer competitive in the global environment. The challenge now for Peter Robinson and the Northern Ireland economy is whether it can compete in a global environment not only to win new jobs, but to keep valuable jobs which are now under threat in the North.