Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 February 2024
270. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the level of Údarás na Gaeltachta supported jobs, by county at the end of 2019 and at the end of 2023, respectively, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4836/24]
View answerIn order to fulfill its reporting and planning requirments, Údaras na Gaeltachta gathers employment figures annually to the end of October.
Research conducted by ABSEI of Údarás na Gaeltachta client companies, in which ten or more employees were employed in 2022, demonstrated that Gaeltacht businesses had a significant positive economic impact. The client companies had estimated total sales of €1.14 billion in 2022, of which 60% was export sales.
The 2023 employment results show that specific sectors, such as medical devices, remain strong. This is because there is a mix of manufacturing, which supports a high level of employment, and innovation that links the enterprise to the area in which it is located. There were 9,526 jobs in companies that received support from Údarás na Gaeltachta at the end of 2023. Employment numbers for 2023 are reported based on full-time and other classification whereas the employment numbers for 2019 are reported on a fulltime equivalent basis.
1,075 new full-time positions were created in Údarás na Gaeltachta client companies in 2023. When the number of jobs lost are accounted for, there was a net gain of 303 full time jobs on the previous year.
The table below provides a breakdown by county on the level of supported jobs in Údarás na Gaeltachta client companies for the years 2019 and 2023:
|
Gaeltacht County |
Donegal |
Mayo |
Galway |
Meath |
Kerry |
Cork |
Waterford |
Total |
|
Employment in 2023 |
2,740 |
971 |
3,617 |
238 |
938 |
758 |
264 |
9,526 |
|
Employment in 2019* |
2,326 |
675 |
3,090 |
210 |
695 |
699 |
149 |
7,844 |
*Fulltime equivalent
