News & Events

Survey finds employment in companies supported by Enterprise Ireland, IDA and Údarás na Gaeltachta grew for a sixth consecutive year 

Companies supported by Enterprise Ireland, IDA and Údarás na Gaeltachta reported full and part-time employment of over 409,041 jobs in 2016, accounting for 31% of total business employment in Ireland. There was a 5.4% increase in total employment in agency client companies since 2015, an increase of over 21,000 jobs.  

The Survey, carried out by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, provides an analysis of employment levels in Industrial (including Primary Production) and Services companies assisted by the development agencies. This 2016 Annual Employment Survey report looks at employment trends over the 10-year period from 2007 to 2016. 

Total full-time employment among Irish-owned companies amounted to 176,271 in 2016, an increase of 10,511 jobs (6.3%) over 2015. This increase continues the five year trend of positive employment growth for Irish-owned firms, following four years of net losses in employment between 2008 and 2011. Employment in Irish-owned firms increased by 27% from the low point in 2011 (138,464) to 2016 (176,271) and by 6.3% over the 10 year period. Irish-owned companies accounted for 49% of total full-time employment in agency-assisted firms in 2016 compared with a 51% share in 2007.  

Among foreign-owned companies, total full-time employment amounted to 185,773 in 2016, an increase of 10,121 jobs (5.8%) over the previous year and the sixth successive year of growth. Employment in foreign-owned firms stood at 158,199 in 2007 and increased by 17.4% or 27,574 jobs by 2016.  

All regions covered in this survey  - the Border Midlands and West (BMW), Dublin, and the South and East (S&E) - all saw increases in employment over 2015 levels, giving a sixth consecutive year of employment growth for those regions. Over the 10 year period, 2016 is the year with the highest level of employment for all these regions. 

For more information please contact:

press.office@djei.ie or 01 6312200 

Annual Employment Survey 2016

ENDS 

Note to Editors 

The Annual Employment Survey is an annual census of employment in all Manufacturing and Services companies supported by the enterprise development agencies (IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, and Údarás na Gaeltachta). The survey has been carried out each year since 1972.  

DJEI, in line with its mandate to co-ordinate the activities of Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, continues to carry out the survey with the co-operation of Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland regional staff. Údarás na Gaeltachta carries out the survey for companies falling within its remit and provides the results for inclusion in the DJEI database.  

Companies formerly surveyed as Shannon Development companies have been incorporated into either the IDA Ireland or Enterprise Ireland client portfolios since 2013.  

The data is presented by nationality of ownership rather than in terms of the parent development agency, and hence the cohort of foreign-owned firms includes food and beverages and natural resource subsidiaries of overseas firms that are supported by Enterprise Ireland.