Mayo nets just 49 new IDA jobs in one year

A TOTAL of 159 new jobs were reated by IDA-supported companies in Mayo last year but 110 similar jobs were lost during the same period, representing a nett increase of 49, writes Darragh McDonagh.

Figures released by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation reveal that there were 3,981 people employed by IDA-backed companies in Mayo at the end of 2015.

Employment in the sector has increased by a total of 467 since 2011, though growth slowed last year following a record period in 2014 during which 294 IDA-supported jobs were created in Mayo.

Departmental data also shows that there was a nett decrease in the number of jobs supported by Enterprise Ireland in Mayo last year. Some 206 such jobs were created but 343 were lost – a reduction in the overall number by 137 to 3,667.

The previous year was also comparatively more positive for job creation in Enterprise Ireland-supported companies in Mayo. In 2014, a total of 383 jobs were created and 255 were lost, representing a nett increase of 128 to 3,804.

Details relating to site visits by the IDA, during which prospective employers are brought to inspect locations, reveal that only five counties in the State had fewer such visits during 2015 than Mayo.

The IDA conducted just three site visits in the county last year – a higher number than only Monaghan (two), Roscommon (two), Longford (two), Carlow (one) and Cavan (0).

By comparison, there were eight IDA site visits to Leitrim in 2015, 15 were conducted in Sligo, and 41 took place in Galway. Nationally, a total of 565 site visits were carried out last year.

In a statement, however, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation said that the number of site visits is not a true indication of activity within a county.

“Approximately 70% of all Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) won by IDA Ireland comes from its existing client base,” it explained. “Almost two thirds of the new jobs created were outside Dublin and all of the regions recorded increases in full-time employment over the (2015) period.

“One-in-five private sector jobs in the economy are as a result of IDA Ireland-supported FDI, both directly and indirectly, and represent a vital economic contribution by the multinational sector.”

Last year was the most successful period in the history of the IDA nationally, with total employment in companies backed by the agency standing at 187,056.