US firm to lay off 32 staff in Sligo

A US cosmetics firm is to close its manufacturing plant in Co Sligo with the loss of 32 jobs.

A US cosmetics firm is to close its manufacturing plant in Co Sligo with the loss of 32 jobs.

Daret - which makes cosmetic display units - said it would cease operations at its factory in Finisklin Business Park at the end of May.

The company blamed higher energy and labour costs as well as increased competition from low-cost economies.

Earlier, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he expected more than 80,000 to be created in the economy this year.

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Speaking on Today FM, Mr Ahern said the Government created 87,000 jobs in 2006 and lost 20,000, and he expected the same to happen this year.

In response to a listener who was one of the 200 people made redundant at Thompson Scientific in Limerick, Mr Ahern said: "We're not having any more significant redundancies than we've had. We're generating better, higher-value jobs.

"Trade unions are always saying that we should have better quality jobs. I think what we're seeing now is quality rather than quantity," he added.