1,200 New Jobs to be Created in Existing Firms by 2016
972 Irish Microelectronics Jobs Created Since 2011
Monday, November 4th 2013: According to survey data released today at the beginning of Microelectronics Week 2013, 1,200 new jobs will be created by 2016 within the existing Irish operations of a range of microelectronics companies. The 31 key industry players surveyed also revealed that they had hired 972 people in the past three years. 752 of the jobs created were highly skilled engineering jobs for experienced professionals and new engineering graduates, demonstrating the role the microelectronics industry is playing in creating the high-level, knowledge-focused jobs central to a sustainable Irish economic recovery.
The new data provides a snapshot of current job vacancies in the industry, revealing that 44 open positions are available in the firms at present.
The survey was conducted by MIDAS Ireland, the microelectronics industry-led partnership consisting of government agencies and microelectronics companies, as well as educational and research institutions, and was launched today at the beginning of a week-long, multi-faceted national dialogue about the sector by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD.
“Microelectronics is a high-tech, research-dependent sector on which many fast-growing parts of the ICT industry rely – smartphones, for example. Ireland has a fast growing microelectronics industry, with thousands of people employed, billions of euros in exports, and many more jobs set to be added in the coming years. Microelectronics Week is a welcome opportunity to highlight the important role the sector is playing in our economy, and to assess how best we can capitalise on and grow our global presence in the industry in future years,” said Minister Bruton.
The survey also revealed that the vast majority of microelectronics firms invested in their Irish operations in the last two years.
“That’s a claim that can be made for very few other industries,” said John Blake, Chairperson of MIDAS. “68% of those polled confirmed that they had invested in their base here in 2012 or 2013. Furthermore, over half of the microelectronics firms said they had invested in research projects into new areas during the past twelve months. These are the welcome actions of a sure-footed industry, investing to enable future growth and displaying confidence in Ireland as a long-term business and R&D location.
“The theme of Microelectronics Week this year is ‘research in action.’ Many of the jobs that were created in the last three years were as the result of new microelectronics design research programmes which were established here. Some of the globe’s leading funders and researchers alike have begun to concentrate major R&D efforts in Ireland, and the week is partly about celebrating the progress which has been made in establishing Ireland as a world capital of discovery in microelectronics.”
“Of course, we still have much to do before that goal will be achieved, and this week we will also focus on formulating new ideas to bring us closer to that point. With the right approach, there is no reason why the already substantial 1,200 new microelectronics jobs planned for Ireland over the next three years could not be enhanced though increased foreign direct investment in R&D and greater indigenous entrepreneurship in the microelectronics sector. There is also tremendous opportunity for the creation of spin-off jobs through the application of the research in new products ranging from medical devices to data centre technologies,” Mr Blake concluded.
Microelectronics Week, which is organised by MIDAS Ireland with the support of the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, will run from Monday the 4th until Friday the 8th of November. Scheduled highlights include the ‘Research in Action Forum’ on Wednesday, where leading panellists from industry and affiliated bodies will discuss how best to commercialise microelectronics research. The MIDAS Annual Conference will take place on Thursday, and will flesh out the theme of ‘Research in Action in the Microelectronics Sector.’ More information about Microelectronics Week 2013 is available at www.midasireland.ie.
