merrion street

Almost 500 new jobs were created today by 3 leading US multinational companies. The jobs being created will be spread across Ireland, with:

• ICT giant HP investing €45 million in a research and development expansion which will create up to 280 jobs at its Galway and Kildare operations;

• Abbott Pharmaceutical investing €85 million in a strategic expansion at its Sligo pharmaceutical plant with the creation of 175 new jobs.

• Big Fish Games expanding its Cloud Gaming Research and Development initiative in Cork with the creation of 30 highly skilled jobs.

Speaking on the HP announcement, Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton said:

This is great news for Galway, Leixlip and Ireland, with the announcement of 150 high-end R&D jobs as well as approximately 130 related jobs in this world-leading company. In the coming weeks the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs will build on announcements like this to deepen the impact of multinational investment here, and target sectors like ICT where we have built substantial strengths in recent years. By setting ambitious targets and implementing reforms across the economy we can achieve the growth and jobs we so badly need.

Of the job announcement at Big Fish Games, Minister Bruton said:

As part of the Government’s plan to address the employment crisis, we are determined to build on the sectors of strength we have built up over recent years, as well as selecting new sectors where Ireland can become a world leader. Over the past 20 years we have build up a base of multinational companies in the IT sector which is the envy of many other countries; however now we must target those areas where the growth of the future is going to spring, such as cloud computing and digital gaming.

Today’s very welcome announcement shows what is possible in these areas. The task now is to build on this news, and in the coming weeks the Action Plan for Jobs will outline a series of policy changes to target sectors such as these to create the jobs and growth we so badly need.