The North's First Minister Ian Paisley has said he hopes to head an investment drive in the US before Christmas.
Speaking before meeting the Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern at the North-South Ministerial Council in Dundalk, yesterday, Dr Paisley said the economic prospects of both parts of Ireland could be improved by more joint co-ordination and planning.
"I hope to be in the United States later this year to meet the president there. We will be pushing as hard as we possibly can for jobs.
"But we have to help ourselves first, and if we can help ourselves and get the sort of industry that will remain with us, then that will be a great help indeed."
Referring to cross-Border co-operation he added: "The future can best be faced together when North and South work together to have our people all employed and in jobs that cannot be taken from them because they will be specialist jobs."
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the loss of nearly 930 manufacturing jobs at the Seagate computer components plant in Limavady, Co Derry was a "devastating blow for the entire northwest of the country and all our [ Government] departments are exercised by this.
"We do recognise the importance of high quality jobs and investment." He said he and Dr Paisley were heartened by the news of 300 new jobs at Norbrook in Newry, Co Down.
As the North-South Ministerial Council meeting got under way, management at the Seagate plant in Co Derry announced that workers facing redundancy at the plant next summer could receive six weeks pay for each year of service.
Early estimates show that an employee on average earnings and with an average eight years' service could leave the company with £22,880 (€32,785).
However, such a payout depends on each worker remaining with the company until production is scaled back and eventually closes sometime in the third quarter of next year.
Plant manager Dr William O'Kane has insisted that there is sufficient demand to keep production going for the first two quarters of 2008, despite the company's decision to switch manufacture to Johor in Malaysia.
