Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

115. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the jobs that have been secured for each county by each of the trade missions in the past 12 months. [18634/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

During 2012, I led 20 Trade and Investment missions with Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to countries such as the United States, China, Canada, South Africa, Russia, Brazil and Germany.

Each year Enterprise Ireland organises a series of targeted international trade missions, market visits, participation in international trade fairs and a large number of international buyer visits to Ireland for the purpose of assisting Irish firms target and secure international contracts and overseas partners. Contracts and commitments worth over €200 million to the Irish Economy were signed during the trade missions organised by Enterprise Ireland in 2012. These contracts, together with the other business links established during the events, have helped grow and sustain jobs in Enterprise Ireland client companies. In 2012 Enterprise Ireland client company employment totalled more than 169,000 on a full and part time basis, representing a growth in full time jobs of 3,338 in the year.

The Investment missions organised by IDA Ireland are more intimate in style. Typically, the programme involves meeting with Chairpersons, CEOs and other senior executives of leading companies, across all sectors. Some of the companies which I met during 2012 already had substantial and valuable activities in Ireland and those meetings focussed on retaining, expanding and further embedding their presence here. For companies who do not have a presence in Ireland, the focus was to underpin Ireland as a location for the proposed investment against intense competition from other locations around the world.

Immediate job creation is not expected from this type of mission as, typically, jobs are created over a period of between 3 and 5 years, depending on the company’s business plan. I should point out, however, that IDA client companies created a total of 12,722 jobs during 2012. The net number of new jobs created at 6,570 represented the third consecutive year of growth in net employment, while job losses in IDA client companies were the lowest in a decade.

Details of the number of new jobs created in IDA and Enterprise Ireland client companies in 2012 on a county by county basis are set out in tabular statements.

Table showing the number of jobs created in Enterprise Ireland client companies on a county by county basis in 2012

Table showing the number of new jobs created in IDA supported companies on a county by county basis in 2012