Workforce skill level:The widely held view that Ireland achieved competitive advantage through the skill level of its workforce and new forms of co-operative employment relations is not borne out by the reality on the ground, according to Bill Roche, professor of industrial relations and human resources at the School of Business at UCD.

"The vision is running way ahead of developments on the ground," he said.

In an article in the Spring edition of the Quarterly Economic Commentary, Prof Roche said Ireland's level of spending on education was among the lowest of the advanced economies and the country ranked 17th out of 22 in the level of job-related training received by adult workers.

Survey data also revealed that the proportion of the workforce employed in companies that had implemented multiple progressive practices for the management of people was below 10 per cent, he said. Progress in the area of co-operative relationships in the workplace has been modest in both the private and public sectors and recently some of the most radical change initiatives in the public sector appear to have seen little advantage in following the partnership model.

"The workplace partnership model has stalled," he said. "Partnerships in Aer Rianta, RTÉ and Bausch and Lomb, which had aroused a great level of excitement, have effectively collapsed."

While unions have been viewed as social partners in the running of the economy and have gained real influence in the making of public policy, they continue to experience a decline in their level of organisation and density. Currently, the overall level of union density stands at 35 per cent and the level in the private sector is around 28 per cent.