Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Employment in agency-supported companies in Laois and Offaly have been very severely affected by the economic crisis. In the three years 2008 to 2011, the net loss in employment in these companies was 1,247, representing a 21% loss in employment in this group of companies. In 2012, net job loss in agency companies was 64. While this is still disappointing, it represents a substantial improvement in the trend. It comprised 54 gross jobs created and 24 job losses in IDA companies and 215 gross jobs created and 309 job losses in Enterprise Ireland, EI, companies.

The two counties have a small base of foreign-owned companies, employing fewer than 1,000 in total, mainly concentrated in engineering and mixed manufacturing. In recent years, it has proved challenging to maintain and attract overseas manufacturing companies into these counties as much of this investment globally is going to low-cost destinations such as eastern and central Europe and China. As a result of the locational shift in global manufacturing, both Laois and Offaly have seen a number of closures within the multinational sector. In order to re-position the counties to a more knowledge-based economy, IDA Ireland is marketing Portlaoise as a key location for investment in the globally traded services sector and Tullamore as a key location for investment in the medical technologies sector, where Ireland has the capacity to win new investment.

Irish-owned companies represent almost 80% of the exporting base of the two counties and have been more resilient in the face of the economic crisis. EI has been actively working with its base of 136 companies in Laois and Offaly, assisting their transition to specialise, innovate, develop skills and value and scale up, including through the launch of the new potential exporters division, the lean business offer which enables manufacturing clients to increase productivity and competitiveness, and the launch of a new development capital scheme aimed at addressing a funding gap for mid-sized, high growth indigenous companies. In the last quarter of 2012, EI launched a €200,000 competitive feasibility fund in the midland region aimed at sustaining start-ups in the area.

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