25,000 new jobs planned for the west of Ireland with emphasize on marine research
It’s hoped that 25,000 new jobs will be created in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon over the next four years.
The new employment plan, West Action Plan for Jobs, is part of a €250 million regional jobs strategy led by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton.
Part of eight nationwide strategies, the latest Action Plan for Jobs takes in the three Connacht counties, which already host a number of businesses across the three industries that, nationally, are expanding employee numbers.
Agri-food and tourism are also targeted by the Government, with the Department for Jobs claiming 5,000 extra positions have been created in the region this year.
There are plans to deliver “a series of actions to develop the marine research and ocean energy industries in the region”, which is an area enjoying significant growth at the moment.
Indeed Ireland, and the west and southwest in particular, is well positioned to become one of the world’s leading countries with regards marine research and ocean energy.
The IDA is planning to up its investments significantly, with a “minimum” of 92 additional projects in the region by 2019 – facilities are being built in Castlebar (2016) and Galway (2017) to help achieve this.
Almost 27,500 jobs were lost across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon from 2008 to 2011.
