Industrial employment has shrunk to pre-1998 levels, according to the latest employment release from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The seasonally adjusted figures show industrial employment dropped by 14,800 to 240,500 in the year to September. This compares to levels of more than 270,000 recorded in early 2001.
Between June and September of this year there was a seasonally adjusted decrease
of 4,900 in industrial employment.
CSO data shows average industrial earnings rose by 5.7 per cent in the year to September 2003 when compared with 2002.
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Industrial hourly earnings rose by 4.0 per cent while average hours worked increased 1.8 per cent in the same period.