The Department for Enterprise has just unveiled its new Department Plan for 2023-2024, outlining how each division of the department will contribute to delivering against the key objectives by 2026, alongside supporting the long-term vision for the island.

The Examiner took a look at its plans for job creation and employment.

A key aim for the department in 2023 is to create and fill a minimum of 600 new jobs through a combination of: 300 new roles across the digital sectors; 100 new roles across the financial services sectors; 150 new roles across the visitor economy; 50 new roles across our export and local economy sectors.

In his introduction to the plan, Enterprise Minister Tim Johnston said: ‘A lot of work this year will be focused on the availability of skilled workers, a focus area not just for the Department for Enterprise, but also for wider government, as we continue to see low levels of unemployment in the island and a consistently buoyant job market.

‘This means we need to retain our current workforce, and further grow the economically active population through returning residents and inward economic migration to ensure the island has the skills needed to deliver essential public services across our healthcare education and infrastructure services, and that our private-sector has the skills it needs to succeed.’

So where will the people come from to fill the new roles?

Paul Craine MLC, author of the Isle of Man Population Atlas, told us: ‘The 2021 Census shows that the number of people in employment rose by nearly 2,000 between 2016 and 2021, on other words, growing by an average of 500 per year, although some of these were people already resident here – including some women staying in work due to pension age changes.

‘The quarterly Council of Ministers reports, based on numbers registered with GPs, suggest that the island’s population has been rising since the 2021 Census – but there are few details yet.

‘The Council of Ministers reports also indicate that, according to tax records, the number of people in employment has increased by more than 1,000 since the 2021 Census.

‘These levels of growth are not far from the target of creating and filling 600 new jobs over the year.

‘Recruitment is clearly difficult across many sectors and the island still appears to be losing young adults, but there is evidence that there are new jobs and more people in work.’

Kristan McDonald, president of the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce, also thinks the jobs creation targets are not especially ambitious.

He says: ‘The Digital Agency has given itself a target of 300 new roles.

‘Given that this year there were 268 filled and there is a constant shortage of skills in that sector, it seems a fairly easy one to achieve.

‘Similarly in finance, with the resources the agency has, a total of only 100 new roles doesn’t seem like it will be a stretch.’

He is also unsure as to whether job creation is the best way to support local businesses at this time. as he goes on to say: ‘Having been through the plan a few times however, I think that while some of the objectives and achievements are positive, the focus on jobs isn’t the right thing.

‘A lot is made of DfE “creating jobs” in various sectors.

‘But DfE and the agencies don’t, and shouldn’t, create jobs.

‘Their role is to create the environment that encourages businesses and sectors to grow and the businesses then create jobs as a by-product of success. Fixating on that sole yardstick of jobs filled leads to a distorted view of the health of sectors.

‘What DfE and the agencies need to focus more on is the viability of businesses and sectors and the long- and short-term contributions they bring to the Manx economy.

‘As a result of the job focus, a lot of what is in the document doesn’t contain much in the way of action to address many of the real issues that affect local businesses. We’ve previously said both the Island Plan and Economic Strategy are good, ambitious and well-intentioned documents.

‘But we are still waiting to see the concrete benefits of these being delivered to businesses who are struggling right now with issues like availability of skilled staff, housing shortages, wage inflation and cost of doing business increases.

‘Having these strategies on paper is no good unless the recommendations in them are implemented and done so in a timely way.

‘It is also disappointing to see that no mention was made of the huge amount of work Chamber put into championing and developing both the childcare strategy and the workforce and skills strategy, or indeed the constant support, feedback and hard data we provide the department.

‘Considering we represent a significant proportion of businesses on the island, to be left out of the departments plan feels like government is increasingly out of touch with the needs of businesses – a point we are seeing raised more and more consistently by our members.’

As Mr McDonald points out the digital sector on the island – as in many places – has a constant shortage of people with the right skills to fill vacancies.

An obvious route to rectifying this is to attract more of our young people who have been away to university to return to the island.

One of the factors that clearly influences this – and also, to a certain extent, anyone relocating to the island for work – is whether they can find affordable housing.

George Li, the architect at Hartford Homes, told us he envisions more affordable housing being built.

He said: ‘As well as trying to address the housing need on the island, government is also trying to focus on attracting economically active people to relocate here and encourage our young people to come back to the island after university.

‘I think that’s led to some of these government-backed schemes like the Nurses’ Home in Westmoreland Road, to build the sort of urban housing you find in London and Manchester.

‘There, younger people are more accepting of living in an apartment while they’re young and getting their careers off the ground, before looking for their next move into a family home, when required. These brownfield sites also offer opportunities for other demographics who may consider downsizing, or the launch pad accommodation for new arrivals and essential workers.

‘Obviously, this style of living is not for everyone and we don’t have the former military bases or disused industrial areas around Douglas to offer large family housing developments, so it has to go hand in hand with greenfield such as our new development on Braddan Road, which is in planning for 320 homes, including 80 affordable homes.

‘We did a revision of the plans just after Christmas, to move the affordable homes delivery much earlier in the development, to address the highlighted need. It’s little things like this that we can do to help.

‘We build around 50 to 60 new homes each year and government is looking to have 1,000-plus new homes over the next three years, though these will include apartments.’

He praised the government for its support in trying to get more new developments carried out on brownfield sites.

Hartford has already completed such developments in Onchan and Port Erin and it is currently in the construction phase of one of their biggest brownfield developments, the former Bay Queen Hotel in Port St Mary.

He says: ‘When it comes to reusing brownfield sites the government are making all the right moves in that direction and we’ve already shown our willingness to get involved with these.’