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Minister Kyne Launches Economic Review of Geoscience Sector at Geoscience 2017 event

  • · Overall Economic Impact €3.27Bn
  • · Overall Employment 24,739
  • · Figures approaching 2006 pre-crash levels

Minister for Natural Resources, Sean Kyne, T.D., today (Tuesday 7th November, 2017), launched a Sectoral Economic Review of the Irish Geoscience Sector, by Indecon International Economic Consultants at the opening of Geoscience 2017, the annual conference of Geological Survey Ireland (GSI), in Dublin Castle.
Economic Review of Geoscience Sector
The Economic Review puts a value of €3,277m on the overall Economic Impact of the sectoral outputs for 2016, across the areas of Geotourism & Geoheritage, Groundwater, Extractive Industries, Geoscience Research and Geohazards. Employment (FTE’s) figures calculated for the same year, across the same subsectors, comes to 15,110 Directly employed, with a further 9,628 Indirect and Induced, giving a total of 24,739.
Commenting on the report Minister Kyne said, “I greatly welcome this new report which gives us firm figures on the value of the Geoscience Sector to Ireland. It is a sector that may be sometimes overlooked and yet is clearly very significant. In terms of employment, it is worth noting that these are generally high-end professional jobs and that much of the activity, being linked to Geotourism and Natural Resources, is located throughout the country and not concentrated in our cities.”
Koen Verbruggen, Director of Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) added, “This report is very encouraging and will be vital in planning a new strategy for GSI. The figures show a healthy economic recovery in the Geoscience Sector, but also a significant growth in areas such as Geotourism and Research, and the need to plan and prepare for Natural Hazards such as have occurred lately with flooding and landslides. The analysis of the impact of GSI backed initiatives such as INFOMAR and the Geoscience Ireland business cluster is also a strong validation of our current programmes.”
The new report was compiled from CSO figures and other sources by Indecon International Economic Consultants and is available for download at Geological Survey Ireland’s website www.gsi.ie

Geoscience 2017 Conference
The annual Geoscience conference showcases highlights of Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) and their partner’s activities. This year’s conference is focussed on the value of the different programmes and how stakeholders utilise the data being produced. Presentations include updates on Geoscience Ireland, Geotourism, INFOMAR marine mapping, Geological Mapping, Groundwater & Flood Mapping, the Tellus Programme and Geoscience Research. Panel discussions include Brexit & Geoscience, and Competing Interests in the Future of Geoscience.

Notes to Editors
Economic Review of Geoscience Sector
The Sectoral Economic Review of the Irish Geoscience Sector report, commissioned by Geological Survey Ireland, can be downloaded at www.gsi.ie
Summary tables in relation to Economic Outputs & Employment are below
Indecon’s analysis indicates that the geoscience sector in Ireland had an overall economic impact of €3.28 billion in 2016.

Table 8.1: Overall Economic Impacts - Output 2016, (€ million)

Area
Direct Indirect and Induced Overall Economic Impact
Geotourism and Geoheritage 370.7 290.3 660.9
Groundwater Collection, Treatment, Supply 35.2 29.5 64.7
Extractive Industries 939.9 716.3 1,656.2
Geoscience Research 30.9 21.5 52.5
Natural Hazards 414.0 429.6 843.6
Total 1,790.7 1,487.2 3,277.9
Non-additive Areas
Geoscience Ireland 827.2 - -
Groundwater Yield Value 422-541 - -
INFOMAR contribution to Marine 24.6
Source: Indecon analysis

In terms of Gross Value Added (GVA) the geoscience sector in Ireland contributes approximately €676 million in direct economic activity. Taking account of both indirect and induced activity, the overall GVA terms increases to €1.47 billion.
Table 8.2: Overall Economic Impacts – Gross Value Added 2016 (€ million)

Area
Direct Indirect and Induced Overall Economic Impact
Geotourism and Geoheritage 239.6 175.9 415.5
Groundwater Collection, Treatment, Supply 18.3 17.8 36.0
Extractive Industries 282.9 359.2 642.1
Geoscience Research 24.3 16.7 41.0
Natural Hazards 111.1 227.4 338.5
Total 676.2 796.9 1,473.2
Source: Indecon analysis
The geoscience sector is estimated to provide approximately 15,100 jobs in full-time equivalent terms directly. When the indirect and induced impacts are taken into account, almost 25,000 jobs in full-time equivalent terms are supported. This is presented in the table below.
Table 8.3: Overall Economic Impacts – Employment (FTEs) 2016

Area
Direct Indirect and Induced Overall Economic Impact
Geotourism and Geoheritage 6,888 1,879 8,767
Groundwater Collection, Treatment, Supply 205 539 745
Extractive Industries 3,633 4,189 7,822
Geoscience Research 465 259 724
Natural Hazards 3,919 2,763 6,681
Total 15,110 9,628 24,739
Source: Indecon analysis

GSI
Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) is the National Earth Science Agency and a division of the Department of Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment. The GSI is responsible for creating a broad range of products, including maps, reports and databases, and acts as a knowledge centre and project partner in all aspects of Irish geology.