Three per cent rise in jobs in Enterprise Ireland-backed firms in Midlands

Total employment in Enterprise Ireland-backed companies in the Midlands region rose by three per cent during 2024.

Companies supported by Enterprise Ireland now employ 11,987 in the region, representing a net increase of 366 jobs on the previous year..

Enterprise Ireland’s End of Year Results for 2024 also confirmed that total employment at companies supported by the agency nationally increased to a record 234,454 last year, with 15,741 new jobs created, and a net increase of 6,212. Some 64% of the new jobs created in these client companies were located outside the Dublin region with all nine regions recording jobs growth.

The three per cent increase in the midlands is exactly in line with the national trend.

Across Enterprise Ireland's nine regions, the west experienced the largest growth, at 6%, followed by Mid-East and Mid-West (4% each). The South and South East had the lowest growth, at 1%.

Employment increased across Enterprise Ireland’s three core economic sectors - Technology & Services (+2%), Industrial and Life Sciences (+3%) and Food and Sustainability (+3%).

In terms of actual job numbers, the midlands has the second lowest number of jobs in Enterprise Ireland-backed companies across the nine regions, at 11,987, ahead only of the North West at 7,039. The Dublin region had the highest numbers employed at 79,111.

Enda McDonnell, Regional Director, East and Midlands Region, Enterprise Ireland said: “2024 was another strong year with our client companies creating 15,741 new jobs and growing net employment by 3% nationally.

“Positive growth was recorded in the Midlands region with employment increasing by 3% in 2024, with 771 new jobs created in the region. This is a testament to the hard work of our client companies who are hungry to achieve greater scale and expand their global footprint."

"2024 marks the final year of Enterprise Ireland’s three-year strategy ‘Leading in a Changing World’ and we can confirm that our client companies have overachieved on our key targets to create 45,000 new jobs by 2024 and increase exports to €30bn. Over the three-year period Enterprise Ireland client companies created 50,931 new jobs and at the end of 2023 over €34 billion in exports was recorded. Two thirds of the jobs created in the three-year period were outside Dublin and we supported 479 start-up businesses, up over 20% on the prior three years.”