Media Release

17 January 2022

LOCAL ENTERPRISE OFFICE KILKENNY CLIENTS CREATED OVER 80 NET JOBS IN 2021

LOCAL ENTERPRISE OFFICE KILKENNY NOW SUPPORTING OVER 179 SMALL BUSINESSES AND 1059 JOBS ACCORDING TO NEW FIGURES

Today, at a live virtual event, An Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD, announced the annual results of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) for 2021 which showed that Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny supported companies created 81 net jobs in 2021.  

The net jobs created by Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny supported clients in 2021 was 81, and takes into account companies that amalgamated, ceased trading and those that transferred on to Enterprise Ireland.  In 2021 there were 131 transfers nationally by Local Enterprise Office companies to Enterprise Ireland, 5 of which were Kilkenny based businesses. The new figures show that LEO Kilkenny financially supported 179 small businesses in their portfolio across the County and these companies in turn employ 1,059 people. 

The total national figures for the Local Enterprise Offices across the country were announced with the LEOs now supporting 35,729 jobs across 7,158 companies.  In 2021 there were 7,440 new jobs created by LEO clients companies with a net jobs creation figure of 2,999.  This was up 9% nationally on 2020.  From those figures, 85% of those employed in LEO supported companies are outside the Dublin region.    

The LEOs also provide substantial funded supports to thousands of other small businesses across the County with programmes such as the Trading Online Voucher, Lean for Micro and Green for Micro along with training and mentoring. For example, the Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny approved €193,892 to 88 business under the Trading Online Voucher Scheme to improve their digital marketing strategy, skills capabilities and increase online sales. Over 700 clients were supported with one-to-one mentoring advice across a range of business disciplines from a panel of highly experienced advisors and 175 entrepreneurs completed a Start Your Own Business Course.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD said: “Over 35,000 people employed in small businesses around the country have been helped in some way by our Local Enterprise Offices. They are at the heart of communities in every county, always on hand to provide advice, training or financial backing and have proved invaluable throughout the pandemic, during which I know a huge amount of people relied on their local office. These numbers a real boost today and will contribute to our overall target of having 2.5m people in work by 2024. Thank you to all our LEO staff for your phenomenal work over the past year.”

Fiona Deegan, Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny said;  “The results announced today are a testament to Ireland’s small business community.  When faced with adversity, they have adapted, pivoted, upskilled and did whatever it took to sustain themselves.  The figures show that companies have seen the opportunities in the challenging trading conditions they have faced.  We are seeing new opportunities for Kilkenny businesses and as always with tough economic periods we see new ideas and companies emerge and flourish.  This year will be no different and as we continue to work closely with businesses  to ensure they get the best possible supports.  There are certainly green shoots emerging across the County.” 

Welcoming the strong employment results, Enterprise Ireland CEO, Leo Clancy said; “2021 was another very positive year for job creation in companies supported by the Local Enterprise Offices.  Companies supported by the Local Enterprise Offices are creating good quality employment across the country and play a vital role in vibrant local economies. Enterprise Ireland’s new strategy ‘Leading in a Changing World’ will see the Local Enterprise Offices and Enterprise Ireland continue to work closely together over the next three years to ensure that companies of all sizes have the best possible support to back their growth and development.”

1. said; “The Local Enterprise Office plays a key strategic role in local authority work to support and sustain enterprise and economic development in the County. The supports and advice LEOs offer make a real difference to the businesses that avail of them. In turn, those businesses make a real difference to their localities in terms of job creation and economic activity, as today’s figures show. It is great to see the jobs growth and to recognise that this growth is happening right across the county.”

For further information about the Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny Key outcomes 2021 Click Here