Microelectronics jobs boom

MUNSTER, and more specifically Cork, looks set for a jobs bonanza as the principal hub of Ireland’s surging microelectronics sector.

There are 26 companies from the sector based in Cork as well as a €6 billion Microelectronics Technology Centre based in the southern capital. Earlier this week, the Microelectronics Industry Design Association (MIDAS) predicted that the sector will add another 2,000 high-end jobs to the 8,000 already employed in the sector nationally.

The story behind that story is that each job in the sector contributes a further €500,000 to the Irish economy. Jobs within the industry are high value roles with over 90% of the indigenous positions in R&D. Indeed, there are already 35 indigenous microelectronic companies in Ireland with combined annual revenue of €70m.