Speaking in Limerick this evening, Mary Coughlan said the country now had a very serious economic situation and she could not pre-empt discussions with the social partners.
She said the Government will be meeting for two days next week to discuss the economic crisis from a departmental perspective.
Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan will also be meeting with the community and voluntary sector and Ms Coughlan will be meeting with the farming sector on Thursday.
The Tánaiste was in Limerick meeting representatives of Dell workers and a number of State agencies about how best to advise the workers on the supports that are there to help them find new job and training opportunities.
She said she was also listening to suggestion about the make-up of the Government appointed task force, established in the wake of the Dell announcement.
Ms Coughlan expressed her hope that she would be in a position to announce the name of the chairman of the task force by the end of this week.
The task force will consist of representatives of State agencies and the private sector.
She also said that human resource managers of a number of companies in the mid west region that were creating upwards of 1,500 jobs are being approached by both the IDA and FÁS to offer new opportunities to Dell workers.
