The longevity of our relationship with American firms is a key factor in Ireland’s favour when it comes to attracting US investment according to Fitbit HR director Clodagh Logue. “We are now in the third or fourth generation of people who have worked for US multinationals”, she says. “This means that we are now really hitting the sweet spot as a country to do business with for US firms. There are not many English speaking countries which can say that.”
That relationship offers a sense of security to potential investors. “That track record gives US firms confidence that they can tap into an established ecosystem which includes organisations such as IDA Ireland and the American Chamber of Commerce.”
Another key strength is the talent base. “There is a very strong work ethic here and companies coming to Ireland have access to well-educated English speaking graduates.”
Personal tax rates are an issue, however, when it comes to retaining talent and attracting people from overseas. “Companies coming here aren’t only looking for Irish people to work for them and their ability to attract leadership level people in from abroad is hampered by our personal tax rates. People do look at their quality of life when considering moving to a new country and we score well there but they look at take-home pay as well and that is an issue.”
Another issue is access to education. People arriving here with young families can find their choice of schools limited due to religious factors. “We still have a long way to go in that respect with our education system. It is the norm for us here in Ireland but people coming here cannot understand it at all,” she says.