Green light for third McDonald's restaurant in Waterford city
McDonald's Restaurants of Ireland Ltd applied to Waterford City and County Council on December 23 last year for permission to build a single storey drive-thru restaurant on lands at Waterford Retail Park, Outer Ring Road, Cork Road, Butlerstown, Co Waterford.
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RTÉ News
42 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
US multinationals to increase employee numbers in Ireland over next year
60% of US multinationals that are members of the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland plan to increase employee numbers here over the next year. The findings of a new survey carried out by the American Chamber also show that a further 32.5% of US companies say they will maintain their current workforce levels. Ahead of an event in Dublin today to celebrate US Independence Day, AmCham surveyed its members current views on Ireland as a destination for growth and further investment. The companies included in the survey, which was carried out in the last week, represent around 52,000 of the employees within US multinationals across the country. 9 in 10 survey respondents say their corporate headquarters have a positive view of Ireland as an investment location, while 68% already have plans to invest in Ireland over the next 5 years. However, almost a third point to housing as the most important challenge to overcome for their company to invest and expand here. Just over a quarter, 26%, say cost competitiveness is the most important challenge, while 10.5% say skills shortage is the number one challenge. Other challenges include delays and complexity of the planning process, supply chain disruption, and the need to enhance R&D tax incentives. The CEO of the American Chamber says Ireland is "a strategic hub for innovation and global decision-makers in major American corporations". Paul Sweetman says almost 7.5% of Ireland's entire population is employed, directly or indirectly, by US multinationals. "On the flip side, Ireland is the 6th largest source of FDI into the US and Irish companies are employing almost as many people in the US as US companies are employing in Ireland." "It truly is a genuine two-way economic relationship," according to Mr Sweetman. He says while the geopolitical backdrop of trade, tariffs and uncertainty are "unquestionably causing challenges for our members," he says AmCham sees "a real and emerging optimism that the business community is ready to get moving through accelerating innovative projects and strategic investments". "The single biggest factor that will impact Ireland's long-term growth will be our own national competitiveness, a factor wholly within our control."
Irish Examiner
43 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Most US firms in Ireland to grow or keep jobs despite global pressure, survey finds
The overwhelming majority of US businesses in Ireland plan to increase or maintain their employment levels in Ireland despite the global uncertainty, and deliberate efforts by US president Donald Trump to bring more manufacturing back to the States. Marking the July 4 Independence Day celebrations, the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) released the results of a survey conducted of its members, where 92.5% said they planned to increase or maintain their current level of employment in Ireland. Of those, 60% said they planned to increase employee numbers, while a third said they would maintain their current number. Nine in 10 survey respondents also said their corporate headquarters had a positive view of Ireland as an investment location, and 68% said their corporate headquarters already had plans to invest in Ireland over the next five years. US multinationals have formed a key part of the modern Irish economy, employing large numbers of workers in key sectors such as pharmaceuticals and technology. However, the Trump administration is engaged in an ongoing tariff war with much of the world, as he demands US companies operating abroad bring more of their operations back home. American Chamber chief executive Paul Sweetman said: "Almost 7.5% of Ireland's entire population is employed — directly or indirectly — by US multinationals. Ireland is a strategic hub for innovation and global decision-makers in major American corporations. "On the flip side, Ireland is the sixth largest source of FDI into the US, and Irish companies are employing almost as many people in the US as US companies are employing in Ireland. It truly is a genuine two-way economic relationship. "Against the geopolitical backdrop of trade, tariffs and uncertainty — which are unquestionably causing challenges for our members — we see a real and emerging optimism that the business community is ready to get moving through accelerating innovative projects and strategic investments." The survey also found a third of US businesses here said housing was the most important challenge for Ireland to overcome for their company to invest and expand here. Other challenges include cost competitiveness, a skills shortage, the complexity of the planning process, supply chain disruption and the need to enhance R&D tax incentives. When asked about the biggest risk is to continued FDI in Ireland over the next five years, housing was cited as the biggest risk (31%), ahead of public infrastructure, trade tariffs, labour costs and availability of skilled talent. On investment in AI and new technologies, 92.5% of respondents said they had increased or maintained AI investment this year, while 65% said they planned to increase investment in AI, automation or data analytics initiatives. When asked how they expect the AI transformation to affect their organisation over the next five years, 82.5% said they expected it to result in either increased or maintained investment. "In the long term, Ireland has a significant opportunity — built on a pedigree of delivery and a can-do attitude — to win new investments and grow. Read More A strong euro against the dollar is creating a new headache for Irish exporters
The Journal
3 hours ago
- The Journal
Taoiseach warns trade ban on Israeli settlements could hit Irish companies under US anti-boycott laws
TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said the government must tread carefully when considering the expansion of its proposed trade ban with Israeli settlements, stressing that including services could inadvertently harm Irish-based multinational companies due to US anti-boycott legislation. His comments come after Tánaiste Simon Harris last week published a fresh outline of the Occupied Territories Bill, which seeks to prohibit the import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements. The bill will affect imports from the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights – territories occupied since 1967 and widely recognised under international law as illegally held. While the current draft focuses on goods only, Harris has signalled that he wants to include services in a future version of the bill. However, Martin expressed concern about the legal and economic risks of doing so. 'That's an issue we have to factor in, because we don't want any companies or multinationals in Ireland inadvertently being caught up in this,' he said, referring to US anti-boycott laws. Martin made the comments today during a visit to Japan. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'We do have to factor in the presence of American legislation, the boycotting divestment legislation, which is already passed by numerous states in America, which would penalise any company that, from an American perspective, participates in boycotts.' Martin said that several US states have passed anti-Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) laws, which penalise companies seen as boycotting Israel or Israeli-controlled areas. More than 30 US states have passed so-called anti-BDS laws that penalise companies or entities seen to be boycotting Israel or Israeli-controlled territories. These laws often apply regardless of whether the boycott targets Israel itself or the settlements specifically – something Martin said poses a risk of misinterpretation. 'Whilst we're just involved in the Occupied Territories, not Israel as a country, there's a concerted campaign in terms of misrepresenting the Irish position, so that's an issue we have to factor in,' Martin said. Advertisement Martin also addressed criticism that the government is backing away from the moral argument in favour of protecting economic interests. 'It's not commercial, like it's putting bread and butter on people's table,' he said, noting the presence of 'hundreds of thousands' of jobs in Ireland linked to multinational employers. 'The object of the exercise here is to put pressure on Israel, not to disadvantage Ireland unduly and that's a factor.' The Taoiseach acknowledged the symbolic importance of the legislation, but said it was important to be 'clear-eyed' about its potential impact. 'There's no point in Ireland coming out worse if it has no impact on Israel. That's the only point I'm making, we have to be clear-eyed in terms of the impact. People should know about the impact.' He also raised practical concerns about how a ban on services would even be enforced. 'How do you actually detect, how do you punish the offence, the practicalities around all of that. Those are real and the bill is fundamentally symbolic, it's important.' The Occupied Territories Bill, first introduced in 2018, proposed banning the import and sale of goods and services originating in illegal settlements, as well as the extraction of resources from those areas. The revised version of the bill, now known as the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill, would criminalise only the importation of goods, under the Customs Act 2015. Services are not currently covered, though Tánaiste Simon Harris has said he is seeking further legal advice and wants to bring services into scope where possible. 'There isn't another country in the European Union that you can visit today and ask a government minister about their bill to ban trade and the detail of it, because they don't have one,' Harris said last Wednesday. 'Ireland is leading – but we have to do this properly.' The bill is expected to go before an Oireachtas committee for pre-legislative scrutiny later this year. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
