Average pay at Intel’s Irish division tops €90,000 for over 200 workers

Some 216 staff at chip giant Intel’s Irish R&D arm last year received average pay of $112,921 (€89,994) from a pay pot of $24.39m.

Figures show staff at Intel Shannon Ltd received the pay that was made up of $19.24m in salaries; $2.47m in pension costs and $2.67m in share-based payments.

Researchers at Intel’s Irish Design Centre in Shannon are engaged in developing the most advanced silicon technology and the accounts show pre-tax profits at the unit declined 18% from $4.1m to $3.36m last year.

This followed revenues falling 5% from $56.5m to $53.5m. The figures show the firm had a net tax credit of $3.85m arising from the firm’s R&D tax credit of $5.7m. This followed an R&D tax credit of $6.8m in 2012.

As a result of the net tax credit in 2013, Intel Shannon last year recorded a post-tax profit of $7.3m.

The figures also show 170 of the 216 staff are engaged in R&D with 46 in management and administration that includes sales and marketing.

The accounts show that director Jonathan Walsh who started the firm in Shannon resigned from the board on September 29 of this year.

In a previous interview recalling the start-up of the firm, Mr Walsh said the Shannon operation started out in January 2000 in an incubator unit “with no phone, no furniture and no computers and we had no borrow three white plastic patio chairs for our first meeting” before the start-up company was later acquired by Intel.

Figures show the operating profits fell 19% from $4m to $3.24m, last year. Regarding future developments, the directors state that the company “will continue to research and develop improvements in communication and networking technologies”.