Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 May 2018
109. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of new enterprises seeking and obtaining the support of her Department both in the manufacturing and services sectors; the extent to which she expects these contacts to mature into the creation of new jobs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23074/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department, through its enterprise agencies is committed to supporting companies in urban and rural areas to start, innovate and remain competitive in international markets, now and into the future. Reflecting the strength of the Irish economy and of global markets in 2017, Enterprise Ireland client companies reported strong employment performance. Enterprise Ireland’s 2017 employment survey reported:
- the highest employment in the history of the agency with 209,338 people employed in Enterprise Ireland supported companies;
- the highest net job creation in the history of the agency which saw 10,309 new jobs created after loses are taken into account;
- the lowest number of job losses since 1998; and
- employment growth across all regions, counties and sectors.
Enterprise Ireland supports companies in both the manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors. In 2017 Enterprise Ireland supported 90 High Potential Start Ups and 91 new start-ups under the Competitive Start Fund. 374 entrepreneurs also participated on entrepreneurship programmes. As this cohort of entrepreneurs start and scale their businesses, new jobs will be created that will assist in contributing to the agency’s 2020 strategic ambition of creating 60,000 new jobs.
In the period from 1st January 2017 to 30th April 2018 the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) approved 360 Priming projects. The number of priming grants is representative of the number of new enterprises established. These projects have the potential to create just over 1,400 jobs over the next three years.
