The number of IDA-supported jobs in Clare has hit a 10-year low.
New figures show while the county saw an increase in IDA site visits last year, the number of people employed in jobs supported by the agency here has dipped below 6,000 for the first time in a decade.
The Industrial Development Agency engages with current and prospective clients to promote Ireland as a location for their business through both virtual and in-person site visits.
According to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the agency has over 1,800 companies within its portfolio nationwide which employed 300,583 people at the end of last year, accounting for 11% of the workforce.
Figures released by the Department to Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane have revealed that 40 site visits were carried out by the IDA in Clare last year which was more than any other year in the preceding decade.
Despite this, just 5,919 people were employed in jobs supported by the IDA in Clare at the end of 2023.
This is a lower figure than that of any other year in the previous 10-year period, indicating a drop of 4% in the space of a year and a decline of 15% from 2017.
The region which saw the strongest level of growth last year was the Midlands where IDA-supported jobs were up 5.8%, followed by the Border Region which saw growth of 2.7%.
The Midwest as a whole meanwhile saw an increase in jobs supported by the agency of 2.6%.
According to the Department, for every 10 jobs generated by FDI directly, another eight are created in the wider economy which translates to over 540,000 direct and indirect jobs or almost 20% of the workforce.
