Young, talented workforce

Favourable demographics and consistent investment in education ensure a plentiful supply of highly qualified workers with excellent technical, language and customer service capabilities, as well as a reputation for flexibility and innovation:

• Youngest workforce in Europe, with 35% under 25 years of age.
• An excellent educational system and a Government strategy committed to securing the highest-level research talent from Ireland and abroad and to a doubling in the number of PhDs by 2013.
• Total spend on higher education increased by an average of 10% per annum over the 10 years to 2008 (compared to a European average of 3%).
• Wide skills base in high value manufacturing, global business services and RD&I.
• English mother tongue and ready supply of multilingual skills.
• Workforce with an excellent reputation for customer service, flexibility and creativity.
• Demographic forecasts show the population growing by 30% to over 5.3 million by 2020: this means sustained strong growth in the labour supply that will far outstrip that in other EU countries.
• In the 2011 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, Ireland was ranked fourth in the world in terms of availability of skilled labour and openness to new ideas.

The Educational System in Ireland meets the needs of a competitive economy (rankings)

Source - IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, 2011

Flexibility and Adaptability of workforce when faced with new challenges (rankings)

Source - IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2011

Labour Productivity (PPP) - GDP per person employed per hour. (US$) Rankings

Source - IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2011

Quotes

• “Irish workers are not just good at accumulating knowledge. They are also very good at applying it. There is an eagerness to get things done right the first time, and to do it better, faster. The interest in continuous knowledge building and learning by the Irish workforce is a keen competitive advantage that enables them to be multifunctional across business processes.”

Bernard Collins, former Vice President of International Operations and Director of International Board with Boston Scientific, which in 2008 announced a €50m Strategic RD&I investment at its existing Galway facility.

• “Ireland’s reputation as a premier centre of education and Dublin’s large population of foreign nationals make the city a perfect location for the office. With Ireland’s availability of highly qualified and skilled workers, we look forward to counting Dublin as a pivotal hub of our European presence.”

Alexander Saint-Amand, CEO of Gerson Lehrman Group, which established a Dublin office in 2009

• "Our Cork office’s ability to deliver a competitive efficient service, combined with a highly qualified workforce, were key factors in securing the contract. It also illustrates Siemens’ commitment to Ireland and the importance of our Irish operations and local skills sets within Siemens globally."
  

Dr. Werner Kruckow, Siemens Ireland, CEO, in 7/08, on Siemens’ expansion of its IT Solutions and Services division in Cork city.