Foreign-owned companies eight times more productive than Irish-owned firms – CSO
The Central Statistics Office published its Productivity in Ireland report on Tuesday, examining the value of hours worked by companies.
Foreign sector companies were eight times more productive than Irish-owned firms between 2024 and 2025, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Figures released by the CSO on Tuesday show that on average, companies in the foreign sector produced 507.3 euro per hour in wages and profits, compared to 65.8 euro per hour for Irish-owned companies.
Overall, the value added per hour worked, known as labour productivity, increased by 6.1% in Ireland, with 125.3 euro more made per hour in wages and profits than the year previous.
But Irish-owned companies recorded a small fall in productivity, down from 66.3 euro an hour.
That was compared with a 15.3% increase in the foreign sector, up from 440 euro.
Employees in Irish-owned companies also recorded a bigger increase in hours worked (2%) than the average (1.6%).
The report also found employees in the foreign-dominated sector have capital assets of 1.4 million euro each in 2025, more than four times higher, than the 353,500 euro of assets per employee in the domestic sector.