Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 May 2018
127. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the job creation targets for the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and local enterprise offices in each of the years 2018 to 2022, in tabular form. [22779/18]
View answerYearly job creation figures by IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are captured by the Annual Employment Survey conducted by my Department and published in January each year. The 2017 survey remains the most up to date and accurate source of information on Enterprise Agency job creation until the 2018 figures are published early next year.
The IDA, EI and the LEOs publish their yearly targets as part of the Action Plan for Jobs (APJ) process. Through the APJ the Government has committed to creating 200,000 new jobs by 2020, with 135,000 of these to be located outside of Dublin. Under the APJ the Government is also aiming to have a further 10 to 15 per cent at work in each region by 2020, with the unemployment rate of each region to be brought within one per cent of the national average.
Each of the Agencies have their own strategies targeting these ambitious levels of job creation over the coming years. Enterprise Ireland’s strategy for 2017-2020 is to assist clients to create 60,000 new jobs and to sustain its existing record level of jobs. Enterprise Ireland has not published targets beyond 2020.
As part of its current strategy, IDA Ireland aims to create 80,000 new jobs and 900 new investments in the period from 2015 to 2019. I am pleased to say that total employment by overseas companies in Ireland now stands at a landmark 210,443 people which is an increase of 5.3% from 2016. This figure surpasses the IDA’s original five-year target of reaching 209,000 jobs in multinationals here. This is the highest level of employment in overseas firms in the history of the State and will deliver wide-ranging economic benefits for the people of Ireland.
The LEO 2017 annual jobs survey results highlighted three consecutive years of local jobs growth throughout the country, with a net increase of 3,760 jobs and total direct employment among LEO client companies standing at 37,485. The LEOs are aiming to have 40,000 people employed in their client companies by the end of 2018 with 47,750 people employed by 2020. Targets have not been published beyond 2020.
