NI Conservatives’ spokesman, Mark Brotherston, has praised Northern Ireland’s private sector for “creating jobs and leading the recovery”. He called for more help for business owners “who generate prosperity and create employment for everyone in our community”.
“The latest figures show that our private sector is creating jobs at the fastest rate since 2007”, Mark explained. “It is businesses in the private sector that can create sustainable, high quality jobs, which improve people’s lives, bring prosperity to Northern Ireland and give our community a hopeful future. The focus at Stormont needs to be strongly on providing companies with support, helping them to trade with the world and making sure the skills are there to suit their needs”.
“It’s vitally important that we foster a culture of enterprise and entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland. We’ve got some brilliant companies, but we just haven’t got enough of them. The fact that the private sector is recovering doesn’t allow any room for complacency. We’re still suffering from some of the worst jobless figures, with more people economically inactive than other areas of the UK.”
“It’s encouraging that the Conservative led government has jump-started the creation of an enterprise zone in Coleraine, but more zones, aimed at encouraging businesses to export goods, are needed. We need a ‘can do’ approach from the executive and throughout the civil service. Northern Ireland’s companies have the potential to power a strong recovery and they should be provided with every possible help to do so.”