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Hundreds of new tech jobs coming to Ireland

Hundreds of new jobs are on the way after announcements from three major tech firms. At least 180...
Newstalk
Newstalk

13.35 3 Nov 2017


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Hundreds of new tech jobs comi...

Hundreds of new tech jobs coming to Ireland

Newstalk
Newstalk

13.35 3 Nov 2017


Share this article


Hundreds of new jobs are on the way after announcements from three major tech firms.

At least 180 jobs have been created - in addition to those promised by Facebook.

Overnight, the Taoiseach confirmed the social media giant intends to create hundreds of new jobs at its HQ in Dublin.

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He announced it after meeting Mark Zuckerberg on a trade mission to the US.

Today two other tech firms here announced jobs.

Tánaiste and Business Minister Frances Fitzgerald says it is a vote of confidence in the country:

Hundreds of new tech jobs coming to Ireland

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

“We really welcome the confidence that employers and businesses are showing in Ireland,” she said. “That is really important.”

“But I want to say we are not complacent; we don’t take it for granted; we realise we have to continue to be competitive in order to keep market share and to keep those investments in Ireland.”

Microchip manufacturer Xilinx are to hire 100 people - mainly engineering staff.

The roles will be split between their Dublin and Cork bases.

The chips they manufacture feature in many artificial intelligence technologies, as Senior Vice President Kevin Cooney explains.

“We are focusing on machine learning, artificial intelligence, the utilization of neural networks," he said. "They are all key ingredients to how the next phase of technology is going to impact on how we all live and how we all behave."

“At some stage you are going to have autonomous driving and you are going to have Xilinx chips in it."

Cloud computing company Twilio is also expanding their European base in Dublin with 80 new employees, bringing the workforce to 100.

But where are all these new workers going to live with the pressure on housing?

Mary Buckley, Executive Director of IDA Ireland, says it is a concern for companies:

“It is raised by clients as a challenge and we have had that feedback from them,” she said

“Not only the lack of availability of residential but also the cost of it – and we have highlighted that in the past.

“But I think what they are seeing is, they are seeing some very good concrete plans in place and that there us certainty now behind the whole housing area that there will be housing delivered.”

The Government claims the housing issue will get sorted and that there will be plenty of space for people and extra workers to live, calling it “the problem of a successful economy.”


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