Ireland’s manufacturing industry employs 260,000 people across 150,000 businesses in a range of sectors such as medtech, polymer technology and engineering. The ability to collaborate with universities, colleges and researchers gives confidence to global manufacturers to bring the world’s most advanced technologies to Ireland. But to compete internationally and grow, we need a new approach to widen the talent pipeline.
The past few months has seen the AIB S&P Global Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index continues to hover above the 50 mark, an industry figure that is widely accepted to indicate sector growth from contraction. Output, employment, and stocks of purchases all remain strong, however new orders have slowed over the past few months due to high inflation and weak demand. Despite this, the 12-month outlook among Irish manufacturers remains positive and we can expect to see further recruitment in this sector as we move into 2023.
