Jobs at multinational companies hit record high

business
Jobs At Multinational Companies Hit Record High
Just over 10% of the Republic's workforce is now employed by the multinational sector. Photo: Paul Faith/AFP via Getty
Share this article

Padraic Halpin, Reuters

The number of people employed by multinational companies in the State hit an all-time high of 275,000 in 2021, up 10 per cent on its pre-pandemic level.

Just over 10 per cent of the Republic's workforce is now employed by the multinational sector, particularly big technology and drugs companies attracted in part by a low corporate tax rate.

Advertisement

The net increase in employment from the sector almost doubled to 16,800 in 2021 from 2020, with 249 new investments, the foreign direct investment agency IDA Ireland said.

During the year, payments processor Stripe created 1,000 jobs, chipmaker Intel 1,600, Amazon 500 jobs and Bausch + Lomb 130, IDA added.

"FDI in Ireland has come through the pandemic relatively unscathed," IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan said.

Mr Shanahan told a press briefing he did not expect the flow of jobs to slow in the wake of Ireland's decision in October to end its opposition to an overhaul of global corporate tax rules.

Advertisement

The Government agreed to give up the 12.5 per cent tax for large multinationals for a common minimum rate of 15 per cent, although its implementation could be years away.

Business
Economic recovery could be hampered by Omicron var...
Read More

Mr Shanahan said the stability resulting from the move meant it would not have a significant impact on FDI flows, adding that it was an "open question" whether the deal would be implemented.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the multinational sector had helped to sustain the economy while others, most notably hospitality, struggled during the pandemic.

The State's gross domestic product grew by 11 per cent in the three months to the end of September compared to the previous year, one of the highest rates of growth in the European Union.

Read More

Message submitting... Thank you for waiting.

Want us to email you top stories each lunch time?

Download our Apps
© BreakingNews.ie 2024, developed by Square1 and powered by PublisherPlus.com