The number of new jobs supported by IDA Ireland this year will fall by about half to 12,000 from 24,717 in 2000, the agency said yesterday.

Stating that slower growth in the US and Europe meant job creation will be "a little less strong", its chief executive Mr Sean Dorgan also warned that it may not succeed in attracting half of new greenfield positions to the Border, Midlands and West (BMW) region.

In addition, Mr Dorgan revealed a strategic change in which IDA Ireland aimed not to focus on the number of jobs per se that it would seek. The emphasis would switch to developing "strategic business areas" and other initiatives instead of attracting individual investment projects, he said.

About 50 of the agency's 200 staff in Dublin will move to Sligo, Athlone and Waterford in an effort to create regional economic centres.

Mr Dorgan said the three locations were chosen because they were doing "less well" than others in the State and the agency wanted to stimulate their development as "magnets of growth". IDA Ireland already employs 50 in its offices outside Dublin and another 50 in its foreign offices.

Except for an "internal" target for jobs in BMW areas, Mr Dorgan said the agency had no target for the number of new positions it wanted to support this year.

At a briefing, he said he did not know "off hand" when asked what the BMW target was. On the prospects to create half of all new greenfield positions in the region he said that was dependent on securing an additional big investment which the agency didn't "quite see" at the moment. The plan marks a significant strategic shift for IDA Ireland, whose sole purpose in times of high unemployment was to create jobs.

The agency warned that jobs would be lost this year, but said there would be a net increase in the overall number of jobs created. About 3,000 people employed in companies supported by IDA Ireland had lost their jobs since the start of the year, Mr Dorgan said.

The new plan reflected the existence of virtual full employment. In addition to the focus on regional development, Mr Dorgan said individual workers wanted better quality positions which themselves were more economically productive.

The agency wants to create clusters of excellence, which it described as areas "in which groups of companies, corporate and academic research facilities, venture capitalists and others would congregate" to foster innovation and entrepreneurship.