Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 January 2026
452. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of jobs the IDA supported in Kilkenny in 2025; how this compares to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3546/26]
View answerIDA Ireland's current strategy, ‘Adapt Intelligently: A Strategy for Sustainable Growth and Innovation 2025-29', was launched in February last year, and reflects the Government's commitment to balanced regional development as set out in the Programme for Government - supporting job creation in all regions being central to the work of my Department and our enterprise development agencies.
The South-East Region, comprising counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford, is home to 83 IDA client companies, employing 16,395 people. The South-East has a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across Technology, Life Sciences, International Financial Services and Engineering & Industrial Technologies which are complemented by research centres that help win new business and assist existing client companies with transformation. Counties in the South-East also benefit from direct and indirect ‘remote’ and ‘hybrid’ employment generated by IDA client companies located in Dublin.
The FDI performance has been consistent over the six years requested by the Deputy, 2020-2025, with IDA supported employment increasing in the South-East by 2,107 people, or almost 15% over this period.
Referring specifically to Kilkenny, there were 1,087 people employed by 11 IDA client companies in 2020, and this increased to 2,172 people employed by 15 IDA Client companies in 2025, an increase of almost 100%, or 1,085 people.
Over the period of its last strategy, 2021-2024, IDA Ireland supported the delivery of 973 investments and creation of 76,790 jobs. 54% of these investments were won to regional locations. In the South-East 51 investments were won against the target of 40. Moreover, under its current strategy, IDA is targeting 550 of a total 1,000 investments to regional locations, including 60 in the South-East. The first year of this strategy, 2025, saw IDA Ireland achieving the highest ever number of investments, 323, a 38% increase on 2024, which are expected to create over 15,300 additional jobs in the coming years. We know that investments by IDA Ireland client companies consistently generate highly skilled jobs nationwide, so it is significant that 183 investments, 57% of all investments in 2025, were in regional locations.
Of course, I should also note that my Department and our Enterprise Development Agencies (Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs), as well as the Tourism Development Agencies, also support employment across the country, including in Kilkenny.
