‘Focus on Stem is critical’

‘We have had a fantastic experience in Ireland,” says Sharon McCooey, senior director of international operations at LinkedIn, the social networking website for business people.

LinkedIn opened in Dublin six years ago with a staff of three people and now has more than 1,000 people from 48 countries working here.

“We are delighted that our international headquarters is based in Dublin, the heart of a thriving tech ecosystem in Europe,” says McCooey. “One of the main reasons why we choose to establish our international headquarters in Dublin was because of the pool of talented professionals in the city.

“Ireland has a thriving digital sector, which we hope will continue to flourish. In this regard, we hope to see policies and support in place which continue to underpin this success. We are pleased to repay the support shown to us by the Irish Government and the IDA by continuing to invest and grow in Ireland, whilst also creating economic opportunities for our members.”

A hi-tech company with a significantly longer track record of operations in Ireland is MSD, which has had a presence here for more than 50 years and, at present, more than 60 per cent of MSD’s top 20 products globally are manufactured here.

“Ireland plays a really key role in MSD’s worldwide operations,” says MSD Ireland’s managing director of human health, Louise Houson.

“We have five sites in Ireland – located in Dublin, Carlow, Cork, Tipperary and Wicklow – employing almost 2,000 people. Ireland remains an integral part of the MSD’s expanding global presence. Over the past five decades, we have invested more than €2.2 billion in Ireland, significantly contributing towards making the pharmaceutical industry the country’s leading export sector.

“Ireland has a vibrant pharmaceutical sector, employing about 25,000 people directly and many more working in services supporting the industry. Talent and skills remain a key draw of any multinationals operating in Ireland. MSD’s recruitment need globally and domestically requires a specific type of employee, which we have found in Ireland and, more importantly, these skills have been outlined as a national objective across the education system and of strategic importance to Ireland.

“The strong pipeline of talent and solid infrastructure in Ireland has made it a good place to build a business, and is why we have continued to invest in our presence here.

‘Cement Ireland’s position’

“To cement Ireland’s position as a good place to do business, encouraging the development of future skills needs for the industry will continue to be important. The recruitment of highly skilled employees is always competitive, and this is particularly true when it comes to demand for specialist skills. Work is currently being done to encourage interest in Stem [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] subjects amongst students at all levels. This is critical to ensure that the talent pipeline continues into the future. We are very active within this area and work with local schools and colleges to encourage an interest in Stem.”

CRM software company Salesforce has been in Ireland for 16 years and in that time the company has seen growing numbers of major tech companies choosing Ireland as a base.

“It’s fair to say that this has put pressure on the commercial property sector and competition for office space is at an all-time high,” says SVP for Global Renewals David Dempsey.

“At the same time, it’s meant that Ireland has seen an influx of top tech talent attracted by the growing number of opportu---bre people and top businesses has also increased the competition for talent.

“We need to sustain and develop this talent resource pool because the opportunities in the tech sector will only grow and grow. Hardly a week goes by without at least one announcement of a new local investment by the tech industry. As a result, the search for suitably qualified people with the right skills has created a new war for talent in Ireland.

“We’re expanding in EMEA and have announced plans to hire more than 1,200 new people in the region this year. In Ireland, we’re currently hiring for roles across engineering, sales, customer success and business services.

“Ultimately, the challenge for us is the same as every other company in the tech sector and that’s to find the right people with the right skills.

‘Core skill’

“To ensure continued growth and talent in Ireland, we need to ensure the younger generations are equipped with the knowledge and talent ready to enter this new-age, digital workforce. This means placing a focus on the promotion of Stem amongst the younger, school-going generation. Technology should be taught as a core skill, like reading, writing and maths.”

While Ireland compares very well against the 40 other countries where the PM Group is active, the engineering firm’s business development executive director Liam Foley says: “we benchmark very well in terms of high tech inward investment but we need to focus on improving our infrastructure. The top economies are constantly investing in utilities like power, water, wastewater and fibre connectivity.”

At Kirby Engineering & Construction, group managing director Frank Fawley also says Ireland has the infrastructure in place to continue to attract FDI investment.

“But what really sets us apart from our European counterparts is our young, highly-educated workforce and our world-class education system, particularly third-level and our R&D system.

“For example, the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) is a renowned global centre of excellence for training and research in bioprocessing and US pharmaceutical companies send their personnel to NIBRT for advanced training.

“Ireland’s highly regulated and robust energy network and focus on renewable energy is also very attractive to the ICT sector, in particular data-centre developments.

“Dublin and the eastern region have seen a significant inflow of capital investment in recent years and it would be important so as to maintain an equal or increased amount of FDI going forward that the infrastructure in terms of energy, transport, housing and in particular trained resources is managed carefully so as not to diminish the region’s attractiveness.

‘Balanced regional development’

“It is important, however, for balanced regional development that, where possible, FDI is distributed outside of Dublin and its environs. Critical to this being possible is the necessary infrastructure being in place.

“Investment in transport infrastructure and fibre connectivity is still an issue in the west and between the Limerick to Cork corridor. This needs to be addressed for these regions to secure their fair share.

“The Irish Government, the IDA and other State bodies have been very successful in terms of attracting FDI and promoting Ireland as a great place to live, work and invest. To sustain this, the Government must continue to invest in infrastructure, research and development and education.”