I welcome the announcement of 52 new jobs for Cork, as part of a broader announcement of a total of 147 jobs which are to be located in Dublin and Cork, as emerging companies choose Ireland as their preferred destination for growth and expansion.
As part of the Action Plan for Jobs, the Government put a range of supports in place to attract and encourage sectors such as pharmaceuticals, life sciences, ICT and financial services. That plan is now clearly paying off.
Ireland has long been seen as an attractive location for Foreign Direct Investment and today’s announcement of 147 jobs being created by six different companies is further proof of that.
Both of the companies who are locating to Cork, cited Ireland’s positioning in Europe and our ability to provide companies with enhanced access to broader and more diverse markets. Loop1 Systems Inc., is set to establish a Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) EMEA sales, customer support and technical centre in Cork with the creation of 17 new jobs in the city. The fact that SolarWinds, a company with which Loop1 has a close relationship, is already based in Cork was a deciding factor for the company, which is great news.
Whitehouse, which is an analytical testing facility will be creating 35 jobs in Carrigaline, as part of its international expansion programme. The Chief Executive Officer of Whitehouse Labs pointed to Ireland’s ‘strong focus’ on the life sciences as one of its reasons to locate here, further cementing the hard work in which the Government has been engaged.
While the unemployment figures remain stubbornly high, there is significant churn in the labour market. More than 100,000 people have come off the live register since the beginning of last year but due to the collapse of the failed old economies of the past being replaced by more sustainable activities, a similar number have lost their jobs.
Transforming an economy cannot happen overnight. However, we are now seeing real results in terms of the number of export and private sector jobs being created and employment in IDA-supported jobs rising year on year.
These jobs will mean so much to those who secure them. I look forward to seeing what these two companies bring to Cork and to seeing the knock on benefits to the local economy.