IDA to relocate 60 staff in regional jobs boost

The board of IDA Ireland will sanction a plan to relocate up to 60 of its 280 staff to Athlone, Co Westmeath, Sligo and Waterford in the coming weeks as it steps up efforts to bring foreign investment into these regions.

Athlone will become the headquarters for regional development and the office will be headed up by the agency's director of human resources and international services, Mr Frank Ryan. He will lead a team of 25 people who will move from this Dublin-based division to Athlone.

The Sligo office will include up to 15 staff and a further 15 IDA Ireland employees will be moving to Waterford.

The shift comes at a time when the agency is under pressure to deliver more foreign investment into the regions, particularly the Objective One region of Border, Midland and Western counties. Mr Eamon Ryan, who heads up IDA Ireland's global efforts to win international projects will move to New York. From there he will lead the entire overseas, job-creation strategy in a move which the agency believes will enhance its effectiveness.

The last job-creation figures from IDA Ireland were criticised in the north-west of Ireland, which is the only region where job creation from international investment has consistently dropped. In the five years since 1996, employment in IDA-backed companies has fallen by 1,240 in counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal.

A spokesman for IDA Ireland said the move is designed to copperfasten stronger links between the agency, the local authorities and third-level education institutions to attract multinationals to create jobs in these regions.

"It is our priority to double the rate of job creation in the objective one region and this is a further step towards achieving this," he said.

The IDA Ireland board will meet on March 14th to approve the plan which is expected to be fully implemented by September. All staff transfers will be on a voluntary basis according to the IDA.

In Athlone, much of the focus will be on providing the skills-base required by international research and development companies. In Sligo there will be an emphasis on economic development of that region with the IDA working closely with the local authorities to improve the infrastructure and improve accessibility for international companies.

Waterford has proved to be a difficult area for IDA Ireland to secure foreign investment and the agency will be working to build on its strengths as a base for foreign investment. Meanwhile an early retirement package to be introduced across IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and ForFas has been announced to shed staff numbers. The package will apply to employees over 50 years of age. The move had been expected following the integration of Forbairt and the Irish Trade Board into Enterprise Ireland.