Digital Business Ireland has called on the Government to do more to support Ireland’s digital and tech sector after new data showed a fall-off in the number of social media companies operating in Ireland and a 11% fall in jobs in the sector. 
 
Data provided by the Department of Enterprise in response to a recent parliamentary question shows that the number of social media companies operating in Ireland has fallen by a fifth, from 40 in 2022 to 32 last year, while the number of employees in social media companies has fallen by 11% from 15,478 in 2022 to 13,744 last year.

'Supportive Base'

"The fall-off in jobs in social media companies operating in Ireland provides a timely reminder that Ireland must not take the digital and tech sector for granted," said Digital Business Ireland Chairperson, Caroline Dunlea. 
 
"Government must do more to protect jobs in the digital and tech sectors and to safeguard Ireland’s reputation as a supportive base for global digital and tech companies." 
 
DBI welcomes the commitments in the new Programme for Government to make Ireland an EU centre of expertise and a regulatory hub for companies operating across the EU Digital Single Market, while also ensuring that Ireland benefits from the innovation and investment potential of new technologies like AI.

However, DBI believes the Programme for Government’s ambition must be matched with a pro-business, pro-growth approach to supporting Ireland’s digital and tech sector to balance digital compliance and growth.

“A pro-business, pro-growth approach to supporting the digital and tech sectors must be prioritised by the coalition as part of its competitiveness agenda,” said Dunlea.