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An aircraft maintenance firm has announced 150 new jobs as official figures revealed a drop in unemployment.
Dublin Aerospace plans to fill the positions at Dublin Airport over the next two years, with 45 to be created immediately.
Meanwhile the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said the total number on the dole fell slightly by 7,000 to 430,432 in October, as people going back to education continued to come off benefits.
However long-term claimants on the Live Register remain at crisis-point, with 179,773 signing on for a year or more - up almost 22% in the last year.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who officially opened Dublin Aerospace's new 4.5 million euro landing gear centre, said the Government's top priority is to restore economic growth and protect and create jobs.
"Today's announcement shows there are success stories and great opportunities, especially for indigenous Irish companies like Dublin Aerospace," he said.
"Dublin Aerospace has shown that in a short space of time, through innovation and fresh thinking, Irish companies can build a reputation for excellence at home and abroad."
The firm was set up two years ago when SR Technics pulled out of Dublin Airport with the loss of more than 1,000 jobs. Its expansion will double its peak-time workforce and its capacity to overhaul landing gears for Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s.
Founder Conor McCarthy, a former Ryanair executive, said there has been a tradition of high-quality aircraft maintenance skills at Dublin Airport for over 70 years.
"The international aerospace maintenance business has always relied on the highest standards of quality and safety but over the past 10 years it has also become a hugely competitive battleground," he said. "We are just three hours from the lowest cost economies so we must compete fiercely whilst providing our customers with the world beating reliability and downtime."
