But figures were up slightly in December 2005 over December 2004.

Traditional manufacturing sectors such as food products and beverages witnessed the highest net job losses, but modern sectors such as electricals, chemicals and pharmaceuticals experienced net increases.

"It is a very serious situation; the manufacturing sector is perhaps the most important base in our workforce. It goes across a whole range of different sectors, from food to clothing to IT, and the loss of jobs is very worrying, " says Brendan Butler, director of enterprise at IBEC.

IBEC has put forward a 10point plan to help safeguard jobs in the manufacturing sector. This includes moderate pay rises, waivers on local charges for companies experiencing trading difficulties, encouraging investment in research and development (R&D) and a special training fund to support the upskilling of workers in the sector.

While the majority of jobs going in the manufacturing industry are those of unskilled workers, skilled employees have not been unaffected since the downturn began at the turn of the millennium.

"At the beginning of the millennium, a lot of jobs were lost in the information and communications technology sector and they represented a mix of skills. The sector that seems to be most under pressure is the traditional manufacturing sector. It is losing out because of our rising cost base, " says Butler.

Eric Conroy, general secretary of the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed agrees. "Up to now, it has been unskilled workers and mainly older male workers , , certainly in rural areas , , who haven't done their leaving certs. Now the two winds of globalisation are hitting and they don't know how to respond. However, high-grade manufacturing IT companies have also been going to other countries.

Manufacturing is taking a hit in terms of job losses" Over the past few months, significant job losses have been announced at: Greencore, Mallow; NEC, Ballivor;

Maysteel Teoranta, Co Galway; GnResound Ireland, Cork; C&D Petfoods, Longford; and Glen Dimplex in Tralee.

"We've got to take measures now to support and help the manufacturing sector develop, " says Butler. "You can't condemn another 290,000 people to job losses.

We don't for a moment accept the argument that manufacturing doesn't have a future in Ireland."

Graduates who are now choosing their future careers may be put off by the redundancy announcements in the manufacturing sector.

However, it is worth pointing out that according to data just released by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, some 55pc of all jobs lost between January and March were in the services sector. About one third were in manufacturing.

"Manufacturing is no longer the stabilising force it used to be. There's no such thing as a job for life anymore. But for graduates coming through, there are still plenty of jobs in manufacturing. They have gone to higher-value products, which at the moment are medical devices and pharmaceuticals. In addition, you'll always have high-value electronics, " says Regina Spollen, regional manager at Collins McNicholas Recruitment and Training Group. "What we should be doing is encouraging our graduates to speak three or four languages fluently."

Certain areas of manufacturing such as R&D continue to prove fruitful for graduates. Recent job announcements included: 40 jobs at Sage's R&D facility; 155 highcalibre jobs at Abbott in Donegal; and 1,100 new jobs to be created by Amgen in Cork by 2010.