Posted on behalf of Dick Ahlstrom

The Irish government has announced a relaxation of controls on university hiring that have inhibited the ability of the universities to hire new staff, even if funded by non-government sources.

The Employment Control Framework was introduced to put the brakes on public sector hiring. A revised version was agreed by the outgoing government and adopted by the incoming coalition when it assumed office in March.

It allowed the Higher Education Authority to oversee hiring in the universities no matter how these appointments were funded, a provision that made university presidents bristle (see Irish ministers row over university appointment rules).

Now the controls have been relaxed in the government’s ambitious Jobs Initiative published on 10 May. The Initiative will use a fund of almost €500 million to boost employment particularly in the construction sector.

It includes a commitment from Brendan Howlin, minister for public expenditure and reform, to relax the “numbers ceiling” for non-government-funded posts. Doing so would maximise the “employment potential of the sector” and would also encourage institutions to “diversify their sources of funding” away from government, he said.

This provision would also apply to contract posts involving research activity in non-commercial state agencies, Mr Howlin added.

The Initiative has also modified the existing tax credit scheme for research expenditure. It currently allows 25 per cent of research cost to be set off against tax liabilities. This can now be set against corporation tax or against employment costs.