Clients of Enterprise Ireland recorded their fourth consecutive month of employment growth in May, the organisation's chief executive said yesterday.
Speaking as the agency published its 2003 annual report, Mr Frank Ryan said that May also marked the 11th consecutive month of strengthening international business activity.
"Trends are heading in the right direction," he said.
Enterprise Ireland provides support to indigenous companies active in the export market. Last year, export sales by client firms rose 0.8 per cent to €10.2 billion.
"Irish companies showed moderate but steady progress in 2003 despite a challenging economic environment," Mr Ryan said.
While there were 11,207 jobs created in client firms in 2003, there was a net loss of 3,206.
Exports to the UK, at €4.8 billion, "still" accounted for just less than half of total exports by client companies. However, there was a 4.4 per cent increase in exports to continental Europe (€2.8 billion) as against a 1.1 per cent growth in exports to the UK. The agency would like to see growth in non-UK markets to create a more balanced spread of markets.
Exports to the US increased by 0.8 per cent, to €1.1 billion.
A number of reports due out in the coming months are likely to have a significant effect on the agency, Mr Ryan said.
A major review on industrial policy is expected to be published in mid July and is likely to have implications for the work of Enterprise Ireland. The results of the first independent review of the cost effectiveness of Enterprise Ireland's 33 overseas offices is expected to be published around late July or early August.
Also a refocusing of the work of Enterprise Ireland is expected around September.
The agency has not yet received any feedback as to how many of its staff have applied to move to Shannon as part of the Government's decentralisation programme. The plan envisages 300 posts moving to Shannon. At present, the agency has approximately 600 employees in Dublin. It has 950 employees worldwide.
He said that, following the largest ever trade mission abroad, to China, led by President Mary McAleese late last year, participating companies had already reported winning new business contracts worth more than €40 million.
He said that, to do business in China, Irish companies needed to focus very carefully on what they wanted to achieve and had to show that they had a long-term commitment to the market.
He said he would like to emphasise the importance of sustained competitiveness. Wages were important but were not the only issue. Innovation could contribute to competitiveness, as could productivity and more automation.
The highest growth sector during 2003 was software and international services.
During 2003 there were 159 new overseas offices established by client companies, 61 new start-up companies were established and productivity growth across all sectors averaged 3.6 per cent. Gross new export sales were €833 million.
