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87% of Companies Expect No Brexit Impact

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As reported in The Sunday Business Post (10th March 2019)

Sigmar Recruitment/ EY Talent Survey Takeaways

·      Companies remain bullish with 87% expecting little or no impact of impending Brexit.

·      Irish companies benefitting internationally from Brexit uncertainty with Sigmar Recruitment attracting French investment in 2018 that otherwise would have gone to London.

·      US companies considering investing in Ireland more concerned about costs, housing, property and ease of doing business.

·      Irish industry-led FDI delegation Ireland: Gateway to Europe to travel to Boston and Chicago in April to attract investment.

·      75% of non-banking jobs come from US multinationals

 

 


 

With the Brexit deadline looming, a survey of over 300 international companies, carried out by Sigmar Recruitment in association with EY, found that 87% of companies expect no impact due to Brexit.  

 

Whilst most business commentary on employment in Ireland tends to concentrate on Brexit, the steady positive growth in US investment continues to be the major contributor to jobs in Ireland.

 

Says Adrian McGennis, CEO Sigmar Recruitment & Founder Ireland: Gateway to Europe: “Demand for talent in Ireland is at an all-time high and US investment is still the main contributor. We all feel for Irish companies facing the challenges that Brexit/currency uncertainty brings but overall the employment situation is very positive.

 

Ireland:  Gateway to Europe is an annual privately funded FDI mission that travels to the US to showcase Ireland as a choice location of investment in Europe.

 

The Irish delegation of industry leaders will visit Boston and Chicago in April, meeting over 400 US CEOs including the CEOs of some major companies who are currently in Ireland.

 

“When we survey about the topics they want to discuss, Brexit barely features. They are asking about talent, property, costs and ease of doing business, as they have been for the last ten years. This gives us the opportunity to share the success stories of the many companies who have set up operations in Ireland,” continues McGennis.

 

“In 28 years, I have never seen such a strong pipeline of new jobs coming from existing and new US companies. 75% of non-banking jobs at Sigmar come from US multinationals. Last year we travelled to Washington and Boston, well prepared on what we thought were the topical issues such as Brexit, the Euro, even GDPR. Instead they were all focussed on their needs to set up in Ireland.” 

 

The Ireland Gateway to Europe group comprises banks, property specialists, recruiters, tax advisors, auditors, HR advisors and other professional services and we work collaboratively to get Ireland’s positive message by case studies and data.

 

Says McGennis: It’s great to have specialists who can credibly answer any specific queries these CEOs may have. We have competitors in most sectors but have always worked as a team to get the Irish message across. Indeed, we are very inclusive and always welcome new participants to the group.

 

“In particular, the relationships that we’ve developed with Boston College and Notre Dame University have been incredible in getting access to CEOs, ministers, congressmen and high-profile business leaders. The upcoming American Football games in Dublin in 2020 will give opportunities to further develop these relationships.”

www.gatewaytoeurope.org 

 


 

About the Survey:

The largest survey of its kind, 302 talent leaders from across Ireland took part in the survey, which focused on key talent themes and priorities for the year ahead.  The respondents comprised of senior executives responsible for talent decision making within their respective organisations, ranging from CHROs, CEOs, HR Directors to Heads of HR functions such as L&D, Recruitment, Organisational Development and Performance Management. This is the third year this survey has been conducted.