With just 150 of 300,000 IDA jobs in Laois a meeting is being sought with the IDA boss
‘This is IDA policy, and if it is not policy, there is somebody not doing their job’ said Sean Fleming TD
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, was asked why Laois had just 150 of the 300,000 IDA supported jobs in Ireland.
Laois TD Sean Fleming asked the “Minister to address the lack of IDA-supported jobs in County Laois? There are a lot of jobs in the midlands and over 300,000 IDA-supported jobs throughout Ireland, but only about 150 of those are based in the county. Given the size of the county and its central location, this is totally unsatisfactory and I need the IDA to step up to the plate on this matter,” he said in the Dáil on Tuesday, September 22.
Minister Burke said the balanced regional development was a key element of the government’s enterprise policy.
“Employment figures for IDA client companies are compiled on an annual basis. As of 2025, the midlands region was home to 51 IDA client companies for 7,501 people. Of those, 156 roles were in Laois, 1,572 were in Longford, 1,299 were in Offaly and 4,474 were in Westmeath,” said Minister Burke.
“I thank the Minister for that. He actually proved the case I had to make when he pointed out that one county in the midlands has almost 4,500 IDA-supported jobs, while a county of a similar or larger size has 150. It is by far the lowest figure for any county,” said Dep Fleming.
“This is IDA policy, and if it is not policy, there is somebody not doing their job. It has decided Laois is okay for some reason. It probably even thinks, ‘Sure, Portlaoise is only an hour from Dublin. Let them commute every day to work in Dublin.’ That is not a sustainable solution. More people are coming to build houses in County Laois and we have had a massive increase in population in recent decades, not matched by IDA site visits,” Dep Fleming pointed out.
He noted a significant site had been purchased in Portlaoise but said it was jobs that were needed in the county.
Minister Burke said “as I pointed out, we have an additional land bank in Portlaoise. I assure the Deputy it is not a policy decision, and it has been challenging to get new capital investment…However, I will raise the Deputy's concern regarding County Laois with the IDA, which I hear.”
He insisted that enterprise agencies were working to support jobs in Laois. “Through Enterprise Ireland, about are 2,100 people supported in employment in Laois. Through our LEOs, we are also at a very strong level of 837 jobs supported in 2025. Our enterprise agencies are working hard on the indigenous sector there, albeit the IDA is challenged in getting new capital investment.”
Dep Fleming acknowledged the work of enterprise Ireland and said the local employment office but said he was speaking specifically about the IDA.
“I will ask the Minister to ensure that he contacts the chief executive of the IDA about this, to make sure that he is aware of this conversation. State agencies might not be following what is happening in the Dáil this evening. I do not think there is any other solution but him coming to meet us directly in County Laois,” said Dep Fleming.
“We do not want to hear about developing a site. That will go on forever. We want to hear about real proposals to bring jobs into County Laois. We are as good a county as any other. We are a well-educated county. We have the best of roads and the best of trains to go wherever you want. The location is good. People are moving here, but they are having to commute back every morning to go to work,” he said.
Minister Burke said “I have no issue in contacting the IDA again. I know the Deputy has raised this on numerous occasions previously, regarding a meeting with him about County Laois. I assure the Deputy that we will do all we can to seek as many opportunities as possible for Laois in the future.”
He acknowledged the significant assets and population in Laois. “We will work with the enterprise agencies, particularly IDA Ireland, to try to drive more visits and more job opportunities, and to ensure that the new land bank, which is the new capital acquisition in Portlaoise, gets a strong value proposition on the register of some exciting new company,” said Minister Burke.