http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7313757.stm

Very surprised to read this.

Now that money from London is drying up I think we may see a lot more headlines like this one.

I really hope you are wrong, doccyboy.

We rely on public jobs here.

And even a large number of private companies rely on Invest NI grants - again, public money.

Heck the private company I'm working for is focusing on trying to get public sector contracts.

It seems everything leads back to the taxpayers money in NI.

I hope I am wrong too but I fear that the public purse has too many people taking from it.

Well I can't argue with that statement.

Lets face it, employment in NI basically consists of public sector and retail jobs.

I`m amazed that 400 represents 15% of the workforce. What do 2600 people do all day apart from collect some rent and organise a few repairs

Whereas the HE used to retain a large permanent maintenance staff, they are now employing casual staff through job agencies, a lot of it migrant labour. This explains the short term contract bit.

And I suppose the workforce shrinkage makes sense when you consider how many homes have been sold off and how comparatively few have been built.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7313757.stm

They have confirmed it's not 400, but 450 jobs that are to be cut over 3 years.



I'm guessing not alot if they can cut so many jobs. Although judging by people I talk to who work in the civil service/council in NI, there are a lot of people sitting around doing very little all day.

I'm guessing not alot if they can cut so many jobs. Although judging by people I talk to who work in the civil service/council in NI, there are a lot of people sitting around doing very little all day.
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It's the same down south. I've a friend in the civil service in Dublin who reads 3 novels a week. At work.

Yep - that sounds about right.

My Dad works for Belfast City Council and some of the stories that he's told me are unbelieveable. There is a huge amount of public money being wasted on people who do very little work at all, and screw the system for every extra penny they can get.

No private business could be run this way - it would go under in a week.

It's about bloody time that NI people started to become more self sufficent and create real businesses that create wealth instead of creating dependency.

Does anyone else find it rather embarassing that we are so dependant on constant handouts through subsidized businesses/services?



I run my own business and I was shocked when I spoke to 3 people recently who work in the local council, they spent quite a lot of time playing stupid computer games due to lack of work. Complete and utter joke! It amazes me, the amount of people who have zero ambition who are just happy to "appear" to be working to pick up a pay check.

- Yes. What I find embarassing is that our politicians are begging for other counties to invest in NI, which for IT people like me just means big american companies outsourcing certain business functioons to here because we are cheap.

Can we not try to start our OWN businesses?



- This attitude is a very widespread one in NI.

bloody hell....where I work....to laze about...chance would be a fine thing and I'm public sector

I presume you chaps have observed the stories which point out that this is the tip of the iceberg and the total number to go from the public sector could be towards 10,000?

It is not at all surprising really, a number of our politicians have been talking about it, Robinson I believe being one. The main problem we will face is that the ones who will take voulantary redundancy will be the ones who can get jobs elsewhere, i.e. the capable ones. What remains will be the sick and the lame and our public service will likely be worse because of it! Then will be the time that heads may roll based on ability and performance....

- Yes, I should have perhaps said that I was in no way inferring that all public sector workers are lazy/have an easy time.

No offence meant to any public sector workers here!

This government has run out of cash. If they raise taxes any more, they will be booted out. Spending cuts are the only way out, NI is a big fat easy target now that there is relative peace.
A pity for those forced redundancies, but less spending on bureaucracy might mean more money left over for the private sector

Looks like there may be more impending cuts. NIPSA quoting 10,000 jobs to go by 2011.

It's funny that there was a lot of outcry about the funding for Co-ownership being taken away/used up.

These lost jobs - well probably not as much of an outcry.

There is more incentive to keep house prices high than to keep people in work.
(Not that I approve of Northern Ireland having a heap of fake jobs in the civil service - but it's a perspective)

That's a very, very good point.