Waterford companies complain of Dublin brain drain

THE brain drain out of the South East to larger hubs such as Dublin means large, hi-tech multinationals locating in Waterford often have to look further afield for staff, the IDA says.

Waterford has become a major hub of industry and commerce, attracting major multi-nationals such as Bausch and Lombe and Genzyme to the region.

Waterford Institute of Technology has been a major boost, providing skilled graduates and growing in status as a hub of postgraduate research. But the brain drain of university graduates is a problem, according to IDA Regional Director, Brian Conroy. It is not the IDA’s role to press for University status for WIT, he said.