Jobs boom
€806m worth of investment announced in Q1 of 2012 created 3185 jobs!
In the last three months alone there has been a phenomenal amount of foreign direct investment. In fact, €806m worth of investment announced in Q1 of 2012 created 3185 jobs according to a recent PwC report. Here are some highlights:
PepsiCo opened a new R&D Centre in Cork, Eli Lilly investing €330 million in a new facility in Cork, Microsoft are creating a €98m data centre in Dublin, PayPal a new European Operations Centre with 1,000 jobs in Dundalk. MasterCard will headquarter its technology operations in Dublin. Hewlett Packard, is expanding with 280 jobs.
Abbott, investing €85 million in Sligo creating 175 jobs. Sky, a new customer service centre in Dublin with 800 new, Accenture, will create 100 new technology jobs in Dublin, Allergan is to invest $350 million in its Westport operation with 200 new jobs and Cook Medical is to invest up to €16.5 million at the Limerick site.
IBEC, the group that represents Irish business, recently said that its latest Business Sentiment Report for the first quarter of the year shows a significant improvement in business confidence. Exporters in particular are confident about the outlook for their business and 30 per cent plan to hire staff in the next three months.
And we're not just talking technical jobs....
As a recruitment company we are as good a barometer as any on the jobs market and the wider economy. We've had our cutbacks. However, in the past 12 months we have grown by 100 per cent in terms of staff. Activity in all of our specialist areas - Accountancy, Administration, Banking, Construction, Financial Services, IT and Insurance - are up considerably. So how is that possible considering the unemployment figures? We believe there is a hidden jobs boom, which we explained in the Irish Examiner.
Cost of living is down
Gone are the days of rip-off Ireland. It needed to get competitive again and it has. The average price of houses and apartments is now as low as €100,000 according to a report by economist Dermot O’Leary. The shopping trips to the North have also significantly decreased as costs of goods have become more competitive.
Positive momentum
The gloom and doom has lifted, people have gotten tired of it and decided to take matters into their own hands. There are many entrepreneur initiatives with inventive forms of investment. The Government’s support has also increased significantly with its job plan for 2012.
It's time to come back
It's great to have the opportunity to get out and experience a new country and explore new cultures. But it's always nice to come back again, to familiar surroundings, the home comforts, family and friends.
Contrary to the media reports Ireland IS working again. There is vibrancy and a real sense of purpose. We are going to build a stronger, more stable economy than we had during the Celtic Tiger, so why not join us?
To find a job that matches your skills and experience go to our job search.