In 1990, total employment in the economy was 1.1 million, slightly up on the 1 million employed in 1950. In the 40 years up to 1990, employment hardly grew at all. In the 35 years since Packie Bonner’s penalty save, the Irish economy has created 1.8 million extra jobs. While lots of attention is focused on the multinationals, the real employment story miracle in Ireland is local Irish businesses, which account for 74.9 per cent of total private employment. These are the real heroes of the Irish economy.

Source: The Irish Times March 21, 2026 13:31 UTC