More jobs to follow locally in wake of expansions

BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM

The creation of more than 1,600 new jobs in Galway in the past five months has the potential to generate dozens more locally through the “multiplier effect”, according to a local TD.

And Fine Gael Galway West TD Brian Walsh said the jobs announcements have firmly secured Galway’s status as a European hub for the Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and Life Science sectors.

“The news that has been delivered for Galway since the beginning of the year has been absolutely phenomenal, but even that shouldn’t be underestimated.

“There are a lot more ancillary jobs that will be created here as a result. When companies of this calibre take on hundreds of staff, there are new jobs in the service industry for example, both full-time and part-time,” said Deputy Walsh.

Last Monday, Oranmore-based technology company Cisco Systems announced 115 new jobs; there were 100 announced at software giant SAP in Ballybrit on Thursday, and our sister newspaper the Galway City Tribune exclusively revealed on Friday that Merit Medical in Parkmore will be creating up to 300 new jobs at its new Merit Vision facility here as part of a €20m investment.

A week earlier, the newspaper also revealed that Hewlett Packard (HP) will be building a new 90,000 square foot premises in Oranmore, which will cater for at least 200 extra staff, while around 100 jobs will be created in the construction phase.

Deputy Walsh agreed the vast majority of the jobs would be for highly-skilled workers, but said unskilled workers will also benefit.“There’s a massive multiplier effect when you have job creation on this scale. There’s a massive ripple effect with any investments of this size, and we can see now that the Government’s Jobs Action Plan is beginning to show dividends.

“Galway is now firmly established as an ICT and Life Sciences hub, not just for Ireland, but in Europe.

“The IDA has spoken of the ‘herd effect’ – where all of these companies want to locate near the others – and that is what we are seeing here.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.