Enterprise Ireland firms 'overachieve' by creating nearly 16,000 jobs in 2024

Medtech firm Aerogen also announces 725 new roles in the west of Ireland

Chief executive of Enterprise Ireland, Leo Clancy, said: 'Over the three-year period Enterprise Ireland client companies created 50,931 new jobs and at the end of 2023 over €34 billion in exports was recorded.'

Enterprise Ireland client companies have “overachieved” on the Government agency’s three-year growth target, creating nearly 16,000 new jobs last year and setting a new employment record.

This comes as medical device manufacturer Aerogen announced that it is to create 725 new jobs in Galway and Shannon over the next 10 years as part of a €300m expansion supported by Enterprise Ireland.

According to Enterprise Ireland’s end of year results, during 2024 companies supported by the agency created 15,741 new jobs bringing the total number employed by their clients to 234,454. The jobs growth translates into a net increase of 6,212 jobs created last year.

Nearly two-thirds, 64%, of those new jobs were located outside of the Dublin region. All nine regions across Ireland recorded job growth during 2024.

Enterprise Ireland said there was strong employment growth across a number of areas including climate, sustainability, and agritech, the life sciences, construction, as well as prepared consumer foods.

Chief executive of Enterprise Ireland Leo Clancy said client companies have “overachieved” on the targets of their three-year strategy to create 45,000 new jobs by 2024 and increase exports to €30bn.

He said:

Over the three-year period Enterprise Ireland client companies created 50,931 new jobs and at the end of 2023 over €34 billion in exports was recorded. 

"Two-thirds of the jobs created in the three-year period were outside Dublin and we supported 479 start-up businesses, up over 20% on the prior three years.

“The results announced today give us a really strong platform on which to further grow and expand our enterprise base in a sustainable way over the next five years.”

Aerogen

Speaking on the announcement by Aerogen, Mr Clancy said the company has the “potential and ambition to achieve billions in revenue, joining the ranks of industry-leading Irish multinationals”.

“Aerogen is a wonderful exemplar of what Ireland and Europe can achieve if our scaling companies engage our great talent base in product innovation at scale in key markets.” 

Aerogen is an indigenous Irish company and Enterprise Ireland’s largest client company in the medical technology sector. It is a leader in acute care aerosol drug delivery.

The company is headquartered in Dangan in Co. Galway and these new jobs will be spread across manufacturing, science, and engineering. This announcement will increase its global workforce to over 2,000.

Aerogen said it currently generates annual revenues of over €150m. 

As part of its 10-year investment plan, the company said it is aiming to accelerate its existing device technology through new product innovation and simultaneously it will build its emerging biopharmaceutics business.

Enterprise Minister Peter Burke said 2024 was a “challenging year” for some sectors of exporting Irish businesses with “high interest rates and international instability impacting business performance”.

“So to record significant employment growth is even more impressive… The government stands firm in our commitment to Irish companies competing and growing on a global scale.” 

Mr Burke added that Aerogen’s announcement also demonstrates the “continued success of Irish companies’ performance in export markets”.