Ireland has the potential to be one of the best countries in the world for technology enterprises, according to Brendan Kiely, chair of Ibec industry association Technology Ireland. But there are several important issues which need to be addressed first.
“We are already on that road, but there are some things we are brilliant at, and some things we are not so good at,” he says.
Technology Ireland celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and is marking it with its “30 for 30″ initiative. Launched last year, the initiative identifies 30 priority areas and actions to be addressed to help the sector realise its full potential by 2030.
Kiely highlights talent, new ways of working, infrastructural issues and collaboration between indigenous technology companies and their overseas-owned counterparts as areas in particular need of attention.
“There is an urgent need to focus on training and development and skills, both at second and third levels,” he says. “I’ve always had a broader view of education. College doesn’t suit everyone. The industry needs to be involved in the development of alternatives. Technology Ireland has been playing a role in that and has worked with employers on the development of technology apprenticeships. We have an obligation to our employees to ensure they have the right skills. The technology sector moves really fast, so we have to keep moving.”
He points to the National Training Fund as a resource which could be deployed to support learning and development programmes. “This is paid for by employers through a contribution of 1 per cent of payroll. It’s not being used in the right way at present. The fund is projected to grow to between €1.4 and €1.9 billion over the next few years and we need to use it.”
Ireland is a great place to work and if we can embrace the remote working culture, people working in the public and private sectors can live and work anywhere in the country
He believes the hybrid work revolution will have far-reaching implications for Ireland. “For the first time since the industrial revolution people can choose where they work, and it is not necessarily decided by employers. The socio-economic implications are huge, and we must embrace it as a country. It can enable us to bring the prosperity created by the technology sector to all corners of Ireland, not just Dublin. But we need to put policies in place to enable companies to have a truly remote and hybrid workforce.”
That extends beyond Ireland’s shores. “At the moment, if you want to go and work for an Irish employer in another European country you are only allowed to do so for eight weeks because of the tax system. We would like to see that extended to 18 months. We had an employee whose partner was offered a job in Italy, but she can’t go with him to work for us remotely over there. The technology issues have been solved, we just need to solve the tax and HR issues. I see this as an issue for the free movement of people in the EU.”
Kiely’s own company, ThinScale, has been a direct beneficiary of remote working. “We had 13 people in 2018 and now have 83. They work 100 per cent fully remote across Ireland, North America, UK, India. The majority are located on the island of Ireland. Without remote and hybrid working we wouldn’t have been able to do that. Small companies can become global companies very quickly because they have access to skills and new ways of thinking.”
Infrastructural investment is another key area. “The obvious issue is housing. If we are attracting FDI we need places for people to live. But it is a complex issue. Ireland is a great place to work and if we can embrace the remote working culture, people working in the public and private sectors can live and work anywhere in the country.”
He notes the ability of State bodies to react at pace during the pandemic and other crisis periods but also points out that sections of the public service have fallen behind when it comes to digital adoption. “Technology can be huge part of the solution to create more capacity in the public sector,” he observes.
Finally, he points to the symbiotic relationship that exists between the FDI and indigenous technology sectors. “We need more cross-pollination of talent and ideas between the two sectors. Enterprise Ireland does a great job helping with that, but we need to pay more attention to it. It is good to see the EU promoting it with a number of research and innovation programmes requiring the involvement of large companies, SMEs and the higher education sector. The Irish industry has the ability to help this country become a global technology powerhouse. We just need to build on our strengths and get out of our own way to allow it to happen.”