Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 June 2025
73. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of jobs in Kilkenny and Carlow currently supported by Enterprise Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32999/25]
View answerThe Government is firmly committed to driving balanced regional development as a cornerstone of its enterprise policy. Under the “Delivering for Ireland, Leading Globally” Strategy 2025–2029, Enterprise Ireland aims to grow employment in client companies to 275,000, with a strong emphasis on regional job creation and scaling indigenous businesses across all counties.
According to the most recent figures from the Enterprise Ireland Annual Employment Survey 2024 , there were 142 Enterprise Ireland-supported companies operating in Kilkenny at the end of 2024, employing a total of 7,255 staff. In Carlow, 102 supported companies were recorded, employing 3,714 staff.
Enterprise Ireland has invested €27.6 million in Irish start-ups and supported over 157 new businesses. Of these, 63 companies were based outside of Dublin. Eleven companies from the South East region secured funding, including Carlow and Kilkenny-based businesses such as Sulu Software Consultancy—developers of an innovative FinTech solution—along with Ealtra & Suspage Ltd.
