As the curtain closes on 2013, one has to take a step back and marvel at what a successful year it has been for the technology industry in Ireland. This sector can whole heartedly congratulate itself and take pride in what it has accomplished.
In our blog back in June, we discussed the increasing rate of job creation in the Irish technology industry and that continued throughout the second half of the year. In September, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD, announced that there were 6,000 IT job vacancies in Ireland at that time. Silicon Republic is now running a roundup of the top 50 IT job announcements in 2013, as Irish start-ups and multi-national companies pulled us out of the economic downturn and began to breathe life back into our employment market.
On top of this, in December, Ireland was named as the best country in the world to do business, in rankings carried out by renowned US financial magazine Forbes. Ireland continues to attract direct foreign investment from some of the world’s largest companies, many of whom are in the technology or medtech industries. According to the Forbes article, there are now more than 1,000 o
verseas companies with a presence in Ireland and they employ 150,000 of the nation’s 1.9 million workers.
As a tech PR agency we have been delighted to announce a large number of jobs this year for clients. Employer branding is proving to be more important than ever with increasing competition for talent, in particular in the technology arena.
For us, the obvious strength and success of the Irish technology sector became apparent when we attended the Web Summit in October. The technology industry took centre stage as the organisers welcomed over 10,000 technology enthusiasts to the RDS, to celebrate all things digital. Industry leaders from across the globe attended and mingled with Irish and international start-ups and entrepreneurs, as they excitedly discussed the latest technological developments and the next big thing.
All of this positive news and activity in 2013 demonstrates the importance of the technology sector to Ireland Inc. Government bodies such as the IDA and Enterprise Ireland have worked hard to attract the world’s leading businesses to Ireland as well as encourage an entrepreneurial spirit and provide support for our crucial start-ups. We predict next year will be even more successful for this sector as Ireland remains at the cutting edge of business and innovation.
Finally, at Comit HQ, we have also had an excellent year, welcoming new employees and clients on board. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our colleagues, clients and media friends for all of their support throughout 2013. We wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2014!
Pictured at the announcement that OmniPay created 30 new jobs in Dublin are (L to R) Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD; Hubert O’Donoghue, CEO, OmniPay and John Power, sales & marketing director, OmniPay.