Clare’s Local Enterprise Office created almost two-hundred new jobs last year.
New figures show that the organisation provided over half a million-euro in funding to small firms here last year.
The latest report from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment shows that Clare’s Local Enterprise Office created 189 new jobs last year, which represents a net gain of 62 jobs for 2023.
Throughout the year, the LEO provided supports to a total of 229 small businesses employing 1,393 people across the county.
It’s understood the majority of businesses to receive support were located in Ennis and Shannon and were in the Engineering sector and the assistance provided usually involved consultancy, mentoring and improving cost efficiencies.
Additionally the Local Enterprise Office funded 22 business projects in the county last year.
Five of these were priming grants which are available to a new micro enterprise employing less than ten people within their first 18 months of operations.
The value of these issued to Clare firms totalled €118,750 in 2023.
A further twelve firms received business expansion grants to a value of €460,557.
Five more business obtained funding to conduct feasibility studies to assist promoters with researching market demand for a product or service and examining its sustainability on the international market, which cost the local authority €55,200.
In total businesses in Clare received €634,507 from the Local Enterprise Office last year.
