By Dan Walsh
Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Neale Richmond TD, has announced the annual results for 2023 which showed that Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Wexford supported companies created 328 jobs in 2023 with a net job increase of 177.
The net jobs created by LEO Wexford supported clients in 2023 was 177, which considers companies that amalgamated, ceased trading and those that transferred on to Enterprise Ireland.
The new figures show that the LEO Wexford financially supported 235 small businesses in their portfolio across the county these companies in turn employ 1940 people.
Breege Cosgrave, Head of Enterprise and Economic Development said; “The results are a testament to the strength of Wexford’s small business community. When faced with adversity, they have adapted, pivoted, upskilled and did whatever it took to sustain and grow their businesses. Wexford is ranked second nationally in terms of net job creation and LEO Wexford have played a significant role in this achievement”.
Wexford County Council Cathaoirleach, Cllr. John Fleming said; “I am delighted to see Wexford LEO once again achieve outstanding job creation figures and is a leading light nationally. It is heartening to see that over 82% of net new jobs created were outside of Dublin and Wexford made a strong contribution to this figure”.
Tom Enright, Chief Executive, Wexford County Council said; “Wexford is punching well above its weight consistently delivering strong job creation figures for the last 4 years. It is the close working relationship between Local Authorities and Enterprise Ireland that ensures that SMEs get the most appropriate supports in areas of greatest need in a timely manner. The key sectors showing growth are; food, engineering, manufacturing with encouraging figures around Life Sciences and the Green Sector”.
Minister Neale Richmond, T.D., said; “I have been fortunate enough to visit many Local Enterprise Offices and I have seen first-hand the superb quality of their mentorship and supports, and the impact they have on the businesses and entrepreneurs they support.”
The total national figures for the Local Enterprise Offices across the country were announced with the LEOs now financially supporting 38,726 jobs across 7,167 companies. This is the most jobs the Local Enterprise Offices have supported nationally since their inception in 2014.
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