Enterprise Ireland reveals hike in numbers employed in client companies in the region

That’s according to the state agency which revealed the overall picture for the region at the recent announcement of Galway MedTech giant Aerogen’s €300 million transformational scaling and investment plan.

That alone will result in the creation of 725 new jobs in Ireland – predominantly over the next ten years.

Nationally, Enterprise Ireland confirmed that total employment at companies supported by the agency increased to a record 234,454 last year, with 15,741 new jobs created.

Furthermore, 64% of the new jobs created in these client companies were located outside the Dublin region with all nine regions recording jobs growth.

Employment in Enterprise Ireland-backed companies in the North-West region was 7,039 in 2024, with 603 new jobs created – representing a net increase of 195 jobs in the region.

Companies supported by Enterprise Ireland companies now employ 234,454 people, an increase of 3% on the 2023 outturn with two-thirds of the total jobs located outside Dublin. The jobs growth translates into a net increase of 6,212 jobs created last year.

Employment increased across Enterprise Ireland’s three core economic sectors - Technology & Services (+2%), Industrial and Life Sciences (+3%) and Food and Sustainability (+3%).

Méabh Conaghan, Regional Director, Northern and Western Region, Enterprise Ireland described 2024 as ‘another strong year with our client companies creating 15,741 new jobs and growing net employment by 3% nationally’.

“Positive growth was recorded in the North-West region with employment increasing by 3% in 2024, with 603 new jobs created in the region,” she said.

“This is a testament to the hard work of our client companies who are hungry to achieve greater scale and expand their global footprint.

“2024 marks the final year of Enterprise Ireland’s three-year strategy ‘Leading in a Changing World’ and we can confirm that our client companies have overachieved on our key targets to create 45,000 new jobs by 2024 and increase exports to €30bn.

“Over the three-year period Enterprise Ireland client companies created 50,931 new jobs and at the end of 2023 over €34 billion in exports was recorded.

“Two thirds of the jobs created in the three-year period were outside Dublin and we supported 479 start-up businesses, up over 20% on the prior three years.

“These results give us a really strong platform on which to further grow and expand our enterprise base in a sustainable way over the next five years,” she added.

Pictured: Report...Méabh Conaghan, Regional Director, Northern and Western Region, Enterprise Ireland.