Irish export sales reached record levels last year, with over €17 billion worth of exports by Enterprise Ireland client companies.
According to Enterprise Ireland's annual report for 2013, there was an 8% increase in exports. The companies supported by the organisation also spent over €20 billion in the Irish economy.
18,033 new jobs were created by companies involved in exporting, while Enterprise Ireland's client companies also recorded their biggest increase in net job creation in a decade at 5,442. This led to an overall direct jobs total of 175,750, and a total of 300,000 jobs when indirect employment is taken into account.
Commenting on the figures, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton said, "the indications from the first six months of 2014 are very positive, with job commitments by Irish exporting companies up more than 20% on the same period in 2013, indicating that the 2013 records are set to be exceeded. At a fragile point in the economic recovery, this is a hugely important confidence boost from the crucially important Irish exporting sector."
CEO of Enterprise Ireland Julie Sinnamon has also been commenting on some of the findings:
