Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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271. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide details of all jobs announcements in County Cork over each of the past four years of which his Department has been notified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1631/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department and its enterprise agencies Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland make job announcements based on the plans and commitments of the enterprises that they are assisting. In many cases, these announcements will set out the job creation plans of the enterprises for a number of years into the future and the Department and its agencies work closely with the promoters to ensure that the jobs envisaged are realised.

I should point out however, that some job creation projects in agency client companies are not announced by the agencies, for example, in cases where the company involved does not wish this to happen.

Accordingly, job announcements are not reflective of the ongoing work of the Agencies in terms of their respective investment in individual companies, which result over time, in job creation.

Employment growth in EI clients in Cork has shown continuous growth over the last four years. Indicative figures from the latest DJEI 2014 Employment Survey show total employment in Cork-based EI clients increasing by around 8% between 2013 and 2014. (Official county based data for 2014 will be available shortly).

Between 2011 and 2014, Enterprise Ireland approved over €64 million specifically to support development projects undertaken by its 600 plus Cork based client companies.

Indicative figures for the period 2011 to 2014 show that the number of IDA Ireland client companies located in Cork, city and county, increased from 135 in 2011 to 146 in 2014, while the total numbers employed in those companies increased by 3,564, rising from 24,981 in 2011 to 28,545 an increase of 14 %.

The following tabular statement sets out details of the employment data for Cork, for Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland respectively.

Press releases relating to job creation issued by my Department’s Press Office are available at .

Details of Enterprise Ireland's job announcements and those of IDA Ireland are also published on their respective websites – ; .

We will forward a list of individual announcements directly to the Deputy.

Table 1: Enterprise Ireland employment data for Cork from the 'Annual Employment Survey'

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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272. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of jobs that have been created by Enterprise Ireland and the Industrial Development Agency supported businesses in each of the past four years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1632/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Annual Employment Survey reports on jobs in companies that are supported by the Enterprise Development agencies. The numbers of jobs created by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland supported businesses in the past four years are set out in Tables 1 and 2 below.

As Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, I introduced a collaborative, cross- government approach to advancing job creation in the State. The Action Plan for Jobs is an annual plan designed to drive action across all Government Departments and Agencies in a collective effort to put in place the conditions needed to support and grow employment in the State.

Enterprise Ireland’s mission is to support indigenous industry, working with entrepreneurs, Irish businesses, and the research and investment communities to develop Ireland’s international trade, innovation and competitiveness. The ultimate objective is increased employment and prosperity in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland works with High Potential Start-ups (HPSUs) with a capability to start a business and sell in export markets, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in manufacturing and internationally traded services, large companies employing 250 or more, and, Irish-based food and natural resource companies that are overseas owned or controlled.

In its "End of Year Statement" published on Monday, January 12, Enterprise Ireland reported that client companies created 19,705 new jobs in 2014. This resulted in a net increase of 8,476 in the total number of people employed by Enterprise Ireland supported companies, the highest net gain in the history of the Agency. This increase in employment reinforces Enterprise Ireland’s strategy of driving innovation, scale and leadership positions in international markets and new sectors.

This continuation of employment growth demonstrates clearly the direct impact that increasing exports has on jobs in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland supported companies now, directly and indirectly, account for more than 300,000 jobs in the Irish economy - 16% of total workforce. Significantly, Enterprise Ireland clients recorded the lowest level of job losses since 2000.

Total direct employment (full and part time) in Enterprise Ireland client companies stood at 180,072 in 2014. Of these, 156,202 were full-time jobs, while 23,870 were part-time.

Total employment at IDA client companies now stands at 174,488, the highest level in the history of IDA Ireland. The job performance took place against a particularly challenging European economic environment and a changing corporate taxation landscape. IDA has now exceeded the jobs and investment targets set under its Horizon 2020 Strategy and is currently finalising a new Five Year Strategy to take the organisation into a new phase of development.

A dynamic talent pool in Ireland, improved macroeconomic conditions and a concentration on several core sectors were among the contributors to the strong 2014 performance.

There were 197 investments in 2014, equating to a 20% increase on 2013. There was a notable rise in new name investment, with 88 new name investors in 2014, equating to a 13% increase on 2013. Among the leading investments secured during the year were Amazon, Bristol Myers Squibb, Fidelity, LinkedIn, Survey Monkey, Air Bnb, PayPal, Ericsson, SAP, Johnson & Johnson, West Pharmaceuticals, Zendesk, Adroll and New Relic.

There were job gains across most sectors IDA is focused on, but particularly in digital media/content, ICT, international financial services, life sciences and business services.

Table 1 – Number of Jobs created by Enterprise Ireland

Source:Annual Employment Survey Results 2011 - 2014