11 November 2015
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Europe Minister Dara Murphy heralds Apple expansion as a game-changer for Cork
Dara Murphy, Minister for European Affairs, has today welcomed the announcement that Apple will be expanding its campus in Hollyhill, Cork and adding a new building that will provide modern office space and room for 1,000 additional employees by mid-2017. The jobs expansion and investment by the world’s leading iconic brand and consumer technology company is expected to have a significant boost for Cork graduates with skills in sales and ICT. Local businesses are also set to benefit from the new jobs and extra spending on the streets of Cork, driven by the rise in consumer sentiment from the announcement this Christmas.
Apple is already one of the largest employers in Cork’s North-side, and has been investing in upgrading its Hollyhill campus over the past number of years. The company continues to have an enormous impact on job creation in Ireland. It is estimated that it supports nearly 18,000 jobs across the country, including over 5,000 direct employees of Apple, benefiting Cork’s local economy. Apple has boosted its workforce by over 25% in the past year alone, as the global company expands its cutting edge innovation in mobile, cloud and connected device technology.
Dara Murphy, Minister for European Affairs and Cork North Central (FG) TD, said:
“Apple’s announcement of a 1,000 jobs expansion and multi-million investment in Hollyhill is a game-changer for Cork’s local economy, especially given the company’s major influence in the global technology sector, and ground-breaking innovation in the mobile device and cloud space. Cork citizens should be proud of having secured such a significant, large scale investment for the city, and Apple’s ‘pulling power’ in the global tech sector, will positively influence future investment in the city by other leading consumer technology companies.”
“This enormous investment is good news for the expansion of Cork’s tech sector, as ICT companies looking to expand will now consider scaling up their operations in Cork. This investment will provide the IDA with a fantastic testimonial for promoting Cork as the ‘Go-To’ location for other US and Asian technology corporates looking to invest in Europe. Apple’s commitment to Cork through this investment, means that Cork has now become a serious rival location for future technology companies outside of Dublin, which will attract additional new jobs for our young workers and graduates, while also boosting consumer spending for small traders and SME’s across the city.
“It is notable that this major investment announcement has been made during Cork’s Science Week, therefore I would urge students to consider taking up STEM subjects and foreign languages, as these subjects will help their employment prospects with major multi-national companies based here in Cork, such as; Apple, EMC and the pharmaceutical companies.”
“Apple has also announced that it is partnering with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland to support research in offshore energy technology and is establishing a €1M Ocean Energy Industry Fund. This will support innovative new ways of capturing wave energy and converting it to renewable electricity in support of their global commitment to powering all facilities with renewable energy.”
