Martin upbeat on economy at launch of 300 jobs

COMMENTATORS need to be careful when talking about the Irish economy, which is continuing to grow at a faster rate than most other European countries, Enterprise, Trade and Employment Minister Micheál Martin warned yesterday.

Arguing that Ireland remained a competitive place to do business for both indigenous and foreign investors, Mr Martin said that the economy will grow this year, and will grow again next year.

“We need to reiterate that what they’re talking about is the rate of growth,” he said in relation to negative comments from various quarters.

The minister was speaking at the announcement of 250 jobs at call centre firm Rigney Dolphin, which opened premises in Waterford city yesterday.

The jobs will be located at the company’s Waterford base as well as at its outlets in Dublin and Dundalk, and will take the workforce to 1,100.

Mr Martin described Rigney Dolphin as “one of the great success stories of the south-east”. The company provides call centre, telemarketing and credit control services to many clients including Meteor, Peugeot, Vodafone, BMW, and has already added 50 jobs since last May, as well as the 250 announced yesterday.

The jobs will be in customer services, customer relationship management services and telemarketing. Rigney Dolphin’s new headquarters is a €5 million, 9,100sq m centre at Waterford’s IDA Business Park.

According to the minister, Ireland will need to develop the service-based economy in the years ahead instead of relying solely on traditional manufacturing industries.

“A unique future lies in the knowledge economy,” he said. “In the last six years, you’re looking at maybe half a million jobs in services.”

Indigenous business will also be important, he said, as well as foreign investment, while gateways such as the cities of Waterford, Galway and Limerick, would play a key role in their strategic locations.

Rigney Dolphin was established in 1990 by psychologist Dr Frank Dolphin, who also spoke confidently yesterday about Ireland’s future prospects.

We spend too much time looking up the track and bemoaning where we are and no time looking down the track and being glad about where we’re coming from.”

Elsewhere, 50 jobs are being created with the opening of Postbank’s head office in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.

Postbank sells Dutch retail bank Fortis’s financial products through the post office network. The bank already employs 180 people in Athlone and in post office branches throughout the country.