Why Wexford?

The ideal location for business

Located on the South East coast of Ireland, Wexford offers an exceptional business location with international connectivity. Rosslare Europort in Wexford offers direct access to Europe, Dublin is just 90 minutes away via the National Road Network and direct Motorway and excellent bus & direct rail links; it provides an ideal hub for organisations seeking a European base.

The South East region is already home to many large foreign-owned multinational corporations, Wexford is ideally positioned to support further growth.

With developed sectors ranging from Financial Services and ICT, to Engineering and Medical Technology, Wexford offers a competitive cost base across commercial property, wage & salary rates and the cost of living.

Wexford simply offers more!

Business costs

With a corporation tax rate of just 15%, the competitive cost base of Ireland sets out a compelling case for companies that are looking to relocate. Ireland is also ranked first in Europe for ease of paying taxes.¹ Wexford and the South East region offers an attractive alternative to Dublin and has a proven track record in attracting business and investment, offering lower living, labour and commercial operating costs.

This is matched by access to a young, educated workforce and the fact that Wexford offers an excellent quality of life for the people who work and live here too.  Residential accommodation is very affordable, with the average house price for a three bedroom, semi-detached house being significantly cheaper than the Dublin region.

Source: ¹PWC 2019. ²Vacant Industrial & Commercial Land Study to Inform Wexford Local Economic & Communty Plan, 2015. Future Analytics & Lisney.

Competitive workforce

Ireland was recently ranked fourth in the world for economic competitiveness and fourteenth in the world for attracting and retaining talent by IMD, an international business school. In a tight labour market, that’s a great advantage to have. But what’s driving it and is it at risk?

“Ireland is a great place to work and live,” says Anna Scally, head of technology and media at KPMG. “A winning combination of talented people, an enduring commitment to the EU and international trade and an exceptional track record sets us apart.”

The exceptional level of talent available is a key factor. “The Irish workforce is highly skilled and adaptable,” says Scally. “Attainment in higher education is high among 25 to 34-year-olds in Ireland at 58%, which is 17% above the EU average. All of these factors continue to attract investment from multinationals, who continue to not only utilise our exceptional domestic talent but also bring new talent into the country from every corner of the world.”

Ireland also offers a great quality of life.

Source: Why Ireland is a great base for talent – and needs to remain so – The Irish Times

Industry employment

The traditional economies of the Wexford region are built on manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, fishing and the aquaculture sectors.  Multinational corporations are concentrated primarily across Life Sciences and Medical Technology, Internationally-Traded Financial Services, ICT and Engineering.

Major employers

The Irish economy grew at a rate of 8.2% in 2018. Businesses seeking out a new low-cost European base are encouraged to consider what Wexford and the South East region of Ireland has to offer.

There are currently over 70 foreign-owned multinational companies based in the region;employing a total of 12,445 people. ^₁

International Financial Services, Life Sciences, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Internationally-traded services all feature strongly in Wexford’s business portfolio. Currently, there are 22 multinational companies located in Wexford which employ close to 3,000 people here. ²

Source: ¹ CSO.  ² Wexford Socio-Economic Baseline Report, AIRO 2016.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Ireland has one of the most advanced telecommunications infrastructures in Europe. Large investments in recent years have resulted in a competitive market based around modern optical networks which allow for exceptional global connectivity.

Wexford and the South East region continue to benefit from telecommunications infrastructure improvements under Ireland’s National Broadband Plan. Fibre-to-the-building broadband infrastructure is currently being rolled out by commercial infrastructure provider SIRO in the main urban centres around Wexford and, for the first time in Ireland, will deliver up to 1000Mbps upload and download speeds.

Wexford Town and environs is currently serviced by a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) which provides ADSL to support broadband infrastructure to business, education and industry facilities.

ELECTRICITY

A world-class electricity network is on hand to support commercial operations in the region, with a 256km cable linking Ireland with the United Kingdom grid at Wales. The East West Interconnector (EWIC) is a 500 MW High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) link between the electricity transmission grids of Ireland and the United Kingdom. At 500 MW it is one of the largest voltage source conversion (VSC) HVDC links in operation worldwide. The East West Interconnector (EWIC) underpins renewable energy initiatives, enabling Ireland to import and export excess wind power. This facilitates the security of the power supply and competition in the market. The EWIC means that businesses in Wexford and the South East region can rely on a steady and continuing power supply to their business.

GREEN ENERGY

The green energy sector is growing fast in the region. Wexford is home to a number of innovative businesses supplying into the bio-fuels, biomass, wind and other renewable energy markets. We have the highest concentration in Ireland of solar energy and we have good natural resources in terms of wind and wave energy. Wexford’s agricultural land is also particularly suitable for growing renewable energy crops such as miscanthus and willow.

The presence in Wexford of the headquarters of the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at Johnstown Castle, along with a scientific research centre run by the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (known as Teagasc), provides access to key knowledge and research in the green energy sector.

WATER

Irish Water is responsible for operating public and business water and wastewater services in the country including the management of national water and wastewater assets, the maintenance of the water and wastewater system and the associated customer care and billing.

Volumetric charges for water for business use in County Wexford are at a combined rate of m3 of €3.79 up to a maximum usage of 1,000,m3 PA. (Source: Irish Water, 2023)

NATURAL GAS

Wexford Town and environs is serviced by a natural gas pipeline supplied from a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station located at Great Island, Wexford. The pipeline is part of a combined investment of €500m in the south east economy through the development of the CCGT power station. The availability of natural gas provides a major boost to the local economy and has brought cost savings in excess of 45% to high-energy business users. The station is the cleanest and most efficient natural gas power plant on Ireland’s national grid. It generates an amount of energy equivalent to that required to power half a million Irish homes.