A Vision for Economic Progress, Skills and Regional Development in Kildare 2012

Kildare 2012 - An Economic, Social and Cultural Strategy

A Vision for Economic Progress, Skills and Regional Development in 2012

By 2012, Kildare will have continued its economic success and will be a county with full employment, where everyone shares equitably in prosperity and the gap between rich and poor continues to narrow.

Sustainable economic growth and Kildare's contribution to regional development will be ensured through developing indigenous industry coupled with foreign direct investment and quality infrastructure. All of this means that jobs will be created locally for people who wish to work and live in Kildare.

Maintaining Full Employment

Since the 1990s Kildare has experienced growth and change in its economic sectors, all providing new employment opportunities. The services sector is the most rapidly growing sector and currently accounts for the largest share of the county’s workforce. Kildare has a lower than average reliance on traditional manufacturing industries such as food, textiles and drink but a much higher reliance on electrical and electronic equipment manufacturing and technologically advanced industries than other counties in the region and nationally.

A highly skilled workforce is the other key component to our successful economy. Over the past decade, the population and labour force in Kildare has become more skilled due to the presence of technology industries that require professional and highly skilled workers and also an increased emphasis on lifelong learning and upskilling. It is important to continue to develop a skilled and adaptable workforce through lifelong learning and linking industry needs and skills.

Enabling members of society who are under-represented in the workforce to gain
employment, such as women, people with disabilities and non-Irish nationals, will not only create a larger pool of labour and skills but will also create opportunities for these people to share in the county’s prosperity.

Goal 1- To maintain full employment

In order to achieve this goal we will:

encourage more women and other groups into employment, specifically in areas where they are under-represented
maintain and increase the skills capacity of the workforce in the long-term
encourage farmers into off-farm employment to supplement farm incomes
provide the physical infrastructure necessary to maintain and expand our indigenous and foreign-owned businesses

Sharing Prosperity

Between 1991 and 1996 the total number of persons at work who were resident in the county increased by 26%, compared with an increase of 10% nationally with highest gains in Clane, Maynooth and Celbridge. However, despite the best efforts of a number of support and training services, pockets of long-term unemployment remain in the county with just over 3,000 people claiming Social Welfare unemployment payments.

Goal 2 - To share prosperity equitably among all residents

In order to share prosperity we need to:

enable all residents to share in prosperity
work towards achieving balanced development throughout the county
counter pockets of unemployment

Developing our Indigenous Businesses

Despite overall growth in the county’s economy a number of areas have experienced a decline. In particular, agriculture has seen a significant decline in its position as a key sector of the economy.

Japanese Gardens Traditional manufacturing industries have seen competition from other countries result in the closure of a number of firms. Areas particularly affected by these declines are the northwest and the southeast of the county and the town and hinterland of Athy.

Tourism has seen a positive change in terms of its importance to Kildare’s economy over the past number of years. In 1999, the county attracted 163,000 overseas tourists to its many attractions and events compared to 109,000 in Meath. However, problems remain in terms of getting tourists to stay in the county rather than use it as a route to other parts of the country. Tourism emerged through consultation as a particularly important sector of Kildare's economy.

The Tourism Task Force (TTF) Plan for tourism development over the next five years focuses on using ICT, co-ordinated marketing within the county and with neighbouring areas and the establishment of a co-ordinating group to guide the implementation of the plan. The range of actions suggested during the KCDB consultations will be referred to the TTF.

The equine sector is another niche sector which is vitally important for the county. A specialist industry, it identifies Kildare all over the world and makes a significant contribution to the local economy. These indigenous sectors will be developed and strengthened over the period of this Strategy.

Goal 3 - To encourage businesses to be created, to expand and to locate in the county

In achieving this goal we have to:

facilitate the setting up of Small/Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) and the relocation and expansion of businesses out of Dublin and other areas
facilitate people, including farmers, to enter trade professions
strengthen and promote existing indigenous industry, including tourism
develop an entrepreneurial culture, including through educational programmes
support the further development of tourism by building on the work of the Tourism Task force

Increasing Foreign and Indigenous Investment in Kildare

The importance of the multinational sector to the county is demonstrated by the fact that 70% of the net gain in employment between 1995 and 1999 was in these companies, predominantly in technologically advanced businesses. This development means that Kildare is viewed as a leading-edge county and offers considerable opportunities for growth and development for both foreign owned firms and local businesses that support them.

These trends also mean that Kildare is open to the vagaries of the global economy, particularly in the area of new technologies. Efforts to increase and diversify foreign and indigenous investment in the county are crucial to complement an increase in indigenous businesses.

Goal 4 - To increase foreign and indigenous investment

In order to attain this goal, we will need to:

promote Kildare as an attractive location for all economic investment
take advantage of major events as opportunities to attract Foreign Direct Investment and to promote Kildare

Promoting Regional Development

The county’s economic growth can also, in part, be attributed to its location beside Dublin. While catering for the population over-spill from Dublin, Kildare has also benefited from this location.

Industrial Park These benefits have included industries locating in the county, developments such as the Strategic Planning Guidelines designed to cater for the growth needs of the Greater Dublin Area, and increasing tourism in the Dublin area. The location of the county in the Greater Dublin Area means that we have access to a market of 1.5 million people, exit and entry points and the social and cultural services offered by the capital city.

Working in co-operation with the other counties and city in the region can only build on these opportunities and strengthen our position in the region.

Goal 5 - To capitalise on and contribute to Kildare's position in the Greater Dublin and Mid-East Regions