Jobs growth slows to 2.6% in 2008in Ireland

Dublin- Annual growth in employment slowed to 2.6% in the first quarter of the year, according to the Central Statistics Office.
The quarterly increase in the numbers at work of 6,200 compares to almost 20,000 in the same period last year. Foreign nationals now account for 16% of all people in employment.

Income tax figures and today's employment data point to a possible small increase in employment for 2008, say economists. The development comes as the European Central Bank has continued to leave interest rates on hold at 4%. Earlier, Fine Gael accused Fianna Fáil of sabotaging the economy's capacity to withstand tougher economic times.