The lessons I learned from my late father
Creating 200,000 new jobs in Ireland by 2020 is the Government’s big goal, writes Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor
IBECAME Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation a year ago, almost to the day. It’s been a momentous 12 months; I became a minister, became a grandmother and lost a parent.
That day, I was tasked with overseeing the creation of 200,000 new jobs by 2020, and that two out of every three of those jobs were to be in rural and regional Ireland. That’s my goal!
From day one, I was determined that not only would we help create the environment for those jobs to be created, but we would create them in the correct way. We would grow jobs in the right way, in the right areas for the right reasons.
My guiding principles in politics have always been the same. I believe that hard work should be rewarded and that those who work should be protected. I believe that politics is not just about national growth and statistics, but is also about the impact on the individual.
These principles and motivations were developed by watching and learning from my father. My father was a farmer in rural Galway. He valued hard work, he respected the individual and he realised the importance of community. He passed away last month.
He was a good man. A tough man in the best sense. A man who never shied away from a challenge. He was fond of the saying by Joe Kennedy, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. He instilled this principle in his four daughters and son. But he had the ability to show tenderness and kindness easily. Before he died, I was able to see him cradle my new granddaughter, his great-granddaughter Esme, in his arms. I’d rarely seen him happier.
His principles inform my policies. His attitude informs my approach to any challenge I have faced. Tough but kind. They inform everything I do, both as a politician and a person.
And so since his death, I have been more motivated than ever to ensure that the principles he lived in life, are instilled in this Government and in my Ministry. Nothing crystallises what is important in your life, and important in life, more than losing a parent.
I have tried to ensure that our jobs programme is guided by these principles and we are making progress.
The unemployment rate has fallen from 7.8pc in May 2016 to 6.2% in May 2017. The last time employment was below 6.2pc was in May 2008. Last year we saw an additional 66,100 jobs created, and importantly 70pc of these were created outside Dublin.
This all means that we are moving towards sustainable full employment. And this is important, not just because of the impact on the national economy but because of the impact that each and every job has on an individual, on a family, on a community. I love the excitement of jobs. I’ve been privileged to see someone’s face light up when they’re told that they’ve got a job. Then that smile is passed on — person to person as the good news spreads, like a flame, to parents, partners and friends.
But we have more to do. More to do to help people who find it difficult to land a job. More to do to ensure that small businesses and family businesses have the environment that allows them to continue to create jobs. And more work to do to ensure that small rural communities, like the one where my father farmed and where I grew up in Co Galway, are given the support they need by our State agencies to grow domestically, and attract investment externally.
This is particularly important given the constant new pressures that Brexit brings. As chair of the special Brexit Unit, I know first-hand the potential difficulties it may bring for business. I launched a nationwide consultation with small and large businesses across the country to assess business needs in the face of Brexit. Our actions will be guided by the results of this engagement. Brexit also brings opportunities. I have already refocused the action plan for jobs to focus on Brexit and have secured significant increases in the staff and marketing budgets for Enterprise Ireland and IDA.
We must, however, be careful not to forget the impact on the individual in our drive towards full employment. With this in mind Minister for State Pat Breen and I were delighted to recently publish draft legislation regarding zero-hour contracts. This has been approved by Cabinet, paving the way for legislation to be enacted which would give much-needed certainty for those in precarious employment situations.
Anyone willing to go out and earn a living, anyone willing to put in the graft to support their community and family, deserves support and protection. This legislation will enhance the protection for employees who are operating in an environment where they have no guarantee of working hours or weekly wages. It will end the practice that an individual doesn’t know on a Monday morning how much they will earn that day or that week.
When Harry Truman became President he placed a sign on his desk that said, ‘‘the buck stops here” — to remind him that the ultimate responsibility for decisions rested with him. When I became Minister, I placed a sign that said “Think Small First”. This reminds me of my motivation for every decision I make. And it reminds me of the very important lessons I learnt as an educator, that prepared me for this job.
It reminds me to think of the small business owners and family businesses who are the driving force of the economy. It reminds me to think of the start-ups who are small now, but with support, can grow and thrive. And it reminds me that small changes we make as legislators can have a massive impact in creating the right environment for businesses to grow, entrepreneurs to innovate and employees to thrive.