‘I am confident that Ireland will continue to soar in the battle for FDI’

Every day, more than 150,000 talented people across Ireland go to work in one of 700 US companies with EMEA / international HQ operations here. These are people working at the leading edge, producing goods and services that are transforming our world today – and imagining and developing the goods, services and ideas that will change our world tomorrow.

For business leaders in the United States, the message is well understood – whether it’s a well-educated flexible workforce needed to build a team and serve global markets, or the right choice for your next career move, Ireland is the place to make it happen.

The importance of US business investment for the Irish economy cannot be understated. Three out of every four jobs created by foreign direct investment (FDI) in Ireland are created by US companies. When you take indirect employment into account, that figure rises to 20 per cent of the overall Irish workforce, or one in every five jobs in the private sector.

Our uniquely collaborative and innovative approach to doing business has ensured the strength and vibrancy of the US-Ireland business relationship for the more than five decades since the American Chamber of Commerce was founded. It is a tribute to the Irish workforce that the top 10 born-on-the-internet companies now operate global businesses from here, while 13 of the top 15 medtech companies have chosen Ireland as their base from which to develop transformative products and services that meet new market demands.

Thankfully, the pipeline of investment announcements in 2017 continues to grow around the country, with jobs and R&D announcements from Cork to Galway and Waterford to Sligo.

But we must remain extremely ambitious – the Chamber is focused on future-proofing Ireland’s reputation as a great place to live and work – and committed to developing our talent and our capacity for future FDI investment.

We must provide sufficient choice in the education and residential sectors, solve our physical infrastructure deficit and the capacity issues facing our cities. We must ensure our digital infrastructure is fit for purpose, including the need for scalable nationwide broadband access.

But most of all, the race to win FDI will centre on the digital skills that are needed to unleash innovation in our 21st-century data-driven economy.

Our vision is to have an Irish talent pool ready to work in a data-centric digital future; of a workforce, comfortable handling data and complex scenarios, with the capability of making informed decisions using enhanced problem-solving skills, regardless of what industry or sector they choose to work in.

Every boy and girl must be enabled to take part in the multi-sector digital economy of the future.

A changing and challenging world surrounds us. The uncertainty of Brexit and the new US administration mean that Ireland’s role is more important than ever in the US-EU relationship.

I am confident that Ireland will continue to soar in the battle for FDI, and that we will be rewarded for our flexible, innovative approach.

James O’Connor is president of the American Ireland Chamber of Commerce and managing director, Microsoft EMEA Operations Centre