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Irish-owned firms lead employment here

In 2023, Irish-owned businesses accounted for 74.9% of total employment and 65.2% of total earnings, CSO data shows.

While Irish firms remain the largest employers, US businesses take a disproportionate share of earnings.

US-owned enterprises, despite employing only 9% of the workforce, captured 17.1% of earnings, reflecting dominance in high-value sectors such as IT and financial services.

US companies command 43.2% of employment in IT and generate more than half of the sector’s earnings (59.1%).

Dominate

Irish businesses dominate earnings in sectors such as accommodation and food services (82.8%) and transportation and storage (72.3%).

Foreign investment from the EU and Britain also contributes significantly, though to a lesser extent, with EU firms accounting for 5.2% of employment and 6.1% of earnings, and British firms representing 4.9% of employment and 4.7% of earnings.