Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 February 2026
107. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of jobs in IDA-backed companies in each county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15283/26]
View answerEmployment and economic impact of IDA clients on Irish economy and society remain at record levels. IDA Ireland had over 1,880 client companies within its portfolio employing over 312,400 people at the end of 2025 which is up by 1.5% on 2024 figures and holds the share of total national employment at 11%. Additionally, my Department estimates that for every ten jobs generated by FDI directly, another eight are created in the wider economy.
FDI has a significant impact in realising balanced regional growth, and investments by IDA Ireland client companies consistently generate highly skilled jobs nationwide, evidenced by the number of people directly employed in IDA client companies across the country.
IDA Ireland has continued its strong commitment to regional development as one of four key strategic objectives of its 2025–2029 strategy, Adapt Intelligently: A Strategy for Sustainable Growth and Innovation. This ambitious strategy aims to secure 550 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects outside Dublin, accounting for 55% of all planned investments and IDA has set ambitious targets for every region in Ireland. The overarching goal is to create 75,000 new jobs nationwide and generate a projected €250 billion in economic impact.
Importantly, a robust property and infrastructure ecosystem can be a key differentiator in winning FDI projects and IDA’s Regional Property Programme ensures the supply of land, buildings and infrastructure in regional locations as required by current and prospective clients of the IDA itself as well as Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs. In this regard, IDA’s Regional Property Programme 2025 - 2029 will consist of 23 projects across 21 locations in 8 regions and primarily manufacturing buildings. IDA will also continue acquiring land and providing infrastructure to support clients across the portfolio of existing business & technology parks and strategic sites nationally, including in the context of developing Next Generation Sites.
IDA’s strategy focuses on partnering with existing clients to increase the competitiveness of their Irish operations through investment in RDI, digitalisation, talent development and sustainability, providing the foundation on which IDA clients can capture new growth opportunities, alongside an ongoing focus on attracting new investment to Ireland aligned with FDI growth drivers including AI & digital, semiconductors, sustainability and health.
IDA Ireland will continue to target investments from across the globe through its global network of offices, supported by a focus by Government on our competitiveness challenges which are being prioritised through major NDP investments, the Action Plan on Competitiveness and the recently published Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan.
As requested by the Deputy, the number of IDA client companies and IDA-supported jobs for each county at the end of 2025 is shown below:
|
County |
Number of companies 2025 |
Employment 2025 |
|
Cavan |
12 |
1,557 |
|
Donegal |
20 |
5,687 |
|
Leitrim |
4 |
1,196 |
|
Monaghan |
7 |
265 |
|
Sligo |
27 |
2,860 |
|
Dublin |
1,018 |
142,501 |
|
Kildare |
50 |
10,258 |
|
Louth |
37 |
4,048 |
|
Meath |
16 |
3,151 |
|
Wicklow |
23 |
2,827 |
|
Clare |
67 |
6,136 |
|
Limerick |
75 |
16,359 |
|
Tipperary |
16 |
5,630 |
|
Laois |
5 |
156 |
|
Longford |
8 |
1,572 |
|
Offaly |
11 |
1,299 |
|
Westmeath |
27 |
4,474 |
|
Carlow |
4 |
1,428 |
|
Kilkenny |
15 |
2,172 |
|
Waterford |
42 |
9,391 |
|
Wexford |
22 |
3,404 |
|
Cork |
228 |
51,425 |
|
Kerry |
17 |
2,110 |
|
Galway |
107 |
25,430 |
|
Mayo |
16 |
5,507 |
|
Roscommon |
10 |
1,625 |
|
Total |
1,884 |
312,468 |
