As a driving force in Ireland’s future economic development, Dublin is considered as a place in its own right; in terms of its national role as our capital; and in an international context. Dublin is not homogenous and can be described as a city of villages and communities. Different areas of the city offer different strengths and challenges. The area of Dublin for the purposes of the Jobs Action Plan encompasses the functional area of the entire city and acknowledges four separate local authorities in the main – Fingal County Council, Dublin City Council, South Dublin County Council and Dun Laoghaire -Rathdown County Council. We know however, that Dublin’s functional reach extends beyond the four local authorities, supporting its performance as a key economic driving force for the entire country. There are over 1.3 million people living in Dublin representing 28% of the total population. As a dynamic urban location, Dublin offers employment across a range of sectors and activities and is poised to take advantage of a return to growth. At a high level, based on CSO data, employment in Dublin today is distributed across thirteen broad sectors of economic activity, with five of these (wholesale/retail, health/social work, professional activities, financial, activities, and accommodation/food) accounting for half of all employment. This includes both public sector and private sector employment. The Dublin region through our Skills Fora Network will build and foster links between our educational partners and business enterprise in order to strengthen skills and sustain our regional development. |