Photo: Celebrating Independence Day at the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland were Bill Doherty, executive vice president, Cook Medical and chair of the American Chamber Mid West; Dr. Paul Duffy, vice president of Manufacturing in Ireland and Singapore Pfizer and Gerard Kilcommins, VP of Global Vascular Operations, Medtronic, Galway. Photo by Jason Clarke.

According to the most recent jobless figures there are now 440,900 people registered as unemployed, the highest number ever.

It is certainly timely therefore to acknowledge  the contribution made here by companies from the USA.

It is estimated that 100,000 people are directly employed in over 600 American companies in Ireland. In fact two out of three foreign direct investment projects that came here in 2008 were from the US.

These are some of the statistics revealed in a new survey from the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland.

In response to the survey 100 US companies in Ireland say they are recruiting and have more than 1,250 job vacancies.

The outlook for the Midwest is particularly positive with 50% of respondents recruiting jobs in areas such as engineering, R&D and finance. There are currently 110 multinational companies in the area employing 10,000 people.

Speaking on the results of the survey as they celebrated Independence Day, Bill Doherty, chairman of the chamber’s midwestern region said, “The presence of US multinational companies has helped shield Ireland from the ravages of the recession.

“While it is encouraging that the latest data from the CSO showed economic growth returning to Ireland it will take time for this to translate into an increase in jobs. It is in this context that US companies are continuing to create employment in Ireland is all the more welcome”.

Mr. Doherty said that since the beginning of the year 23 US companies have announced major investment in Ireland, which will result in over 2,000 new jobs in the coming years.

“More than 10 of these investments have been in research and development. At a time when competition for FDI has never been greater, continued investment and the new jobs created by US multinationals is very welcome”.

“The success of Ireland in attracting this investment can get lost in the continuous doom and gloom stories we hear every day on our radio stations, on our television screens and in our newspapers.

“So it is important that we recognise the success of these companies in winning this investment and jobs for Ireland and that we congratulate IDA Ireland and the Government for their role in securing this investment”.

Respondents to the survey said Ireland has become more competitive in the current recession.  82% believe Ireland has become more competitive, with 81% noticing a reduction in the cost of doing business here.

Labour, energy and transport costs have all reduced according to the survey.

Mr. Doherty added, “While much still needs to be done – on the education front, on investment in infrastructure and in the delivery of the smart economy, the strong message which we can take away from this survey and from the levels of investment secured by US companies in Ireland this year is that Ireland remains a location of choice for US companies and that these companies are confident of Ireland’s ability to emerge from the current recession.”