Written answers
Thursday, 20 June 2024
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Pharmacy Services
John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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109. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide the starting point for the estimated calculation on a report (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26631/24]
Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Biopharma sector is central to Ireland’s economic success and has been for many years, and I very much welcome the report from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), Skills for Biopharma: Researching and Forecasting the Current and Future Skills Needs of the Biopharma Sector in Ireland to 2027, which was published at the end of April. The report shows that we can expect strong growth in the sector in the coming years, which will require a continuing inflow of skilled workers. It is essential that Ireland rises to the challenge of providing the educated and trained workers needed to support this growth.
Using data from IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, the report highlights how the Biopharma sector employed nearly 50,000 people directly across the country in 2022, the baseline year for the study. This represent a net gain of over 18,500 Biopharma jobs since 2016, an increase of 61% increase at a growth rate of 8% per annum.
Taking the 2022 employment figures as a starting point, the report then outlines three growth scenarios which are used to forecast employment growth in the Biopharma sector over a period commencing in 2023 and concluding in 2027. These scenarios are:
- Low growth , which forecasts an overall employment growth rate of 5% per annum from 2023 to 2027, resulting in 15,000 additional Biopharma jobs.
- High growth , which forecasts an employment growth rate of 8% per annum between 2023 and 2027, based on the historical trend in employment since 2016 continuing, resulting in around 26,000 additional jobs,
- Medium growth, which forecasts an employment growth of 7% per annum from 2023 to 2027, based on the evaluation of Biopharma investment trends by industry and enterprise development agency experts, resulting in around 21,000 additional jobs in the sector.
The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs has, together with industry, education and training providers, Government departments and other public bodies, developed a comprehensive set of recommendations designed to ensure the availability of high-quality skills and talent to meet this growth over the coming years.
These recommendations focus on several important areas for priority action, including strengthening STEM education in schools and increasing capacity for education and training at tertiary level. They also place a strong emphasis on increasing collaboration between industry and academia. Promoting new pathways into the sector will also be important, as will promoting careers in the Biopharma sector. A skills and careers pathway framework will be developed for the industry and there will be a strong emphasis on growing digital, leadership and transversal skills.
The key to success will the implementation of the report’s recommendations. If we are to see the growth potential of this innovative and strategically important sector realised, it will require positive and committed action to deliver the necessary skills, as outlined in this report.
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