Ireland may need to look beyond the US to win future inward investment

Challenges faced by global giants such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, whose Irish operations posted sales of €316bn, may force Ireland to rethink its FDI strategy

Ireland started 2022 with a recovering momentum in FDI. But a policy of bringing jobs back to the US may affect future investments if Donald Trump were to win a second go in the White House. File picture

The recent focus on job losses in the tech sector raises key questions for Ireland’s economic exposure — not least because Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook are the four largest companies by sales in Ireland, based on export markets. 

Between them, the four tech giants posted sales of €316bn through Irish companies, making up a huge share of the corporation tax collected by Revenue.