US-Irish business friendship delivers equally for both parties

The latest figures show that US companies directly employ around 245,000 people across Ireland. In 2024, there were 169,000 people indirectly employed by US companies in Ireland – with Ireland acting as the gateway to Europe for US companies.

Similarly, the latest figures also show that Irish companies currently employ more than 202,000 people in their operations across all 50 US States. Ireland is the fifth largest investor in the US.

In his AmCham 2025 Economic Report, Joseph Quinlan, Wall Street Economist and fellow of Johns Hopkins University, writes comprehensively on ‘The Two-Way Street’ that underpins the unique US-Irish trade relationship.

Mr Quinlan offers a selection of trade figures that outline why the United States has consistently been the world’s largest economy. Clearly, the USA is in a different league to Ireland. Nonetheless, the US-Irish trade figures are quite well balanced across FDI, total assets of affiliates, total sales and many other metrics.

That balance and trading fairness is at the heart of why the mutually beneficial nature of the US-Irish relationship continues to be viewed positively on both sides of the Atlantic.

“Wealthy, large, and dynamic, no country in the world attracts more foreign direct investment (FDI) than the United States,” writes Joseph Quinlan. “Virtually every country in the world has an investment presence in the US, Ireland included. To this point, Corporate Ireland’s total investment stock in the United States — $322 billion in 2023 — was greater than the total stock of Spain ($81 billion), Belgium ($73 billion) and China for that matter ($28 billion).

“Irish affiliates in the US generated some $183 billion in sales in 2022, more than Italy ($59 billion) and Belgium ($47 billion). These same affiliates contributed to roughly $5 billion in R&D expenditures. All of this bestows a host of benefits to the US and US workers in terms of investment and employment, and is a reminder that Irish-US bi-lateral engagement is a two-way street.” 

 Mr Quinlan’s analysis also offers a comprehensive answer to the question ‘Why Ireland?’, along with a look forward in a chapter titled ‘The Road Ahead: The Future of Irish-US Relations’. 

“Corporate America still needs the resources of a strategic partner like Ireland,” he writes. “The world is changing. But what is not changing for US firms is the constant need for talent — skilled and unskilled — in a world where labor market growth has peaked (including China), and immigration is frowned upon. 

“At the end of 2024, the US unemployment rate was hovering around 4%, while more than 8 million jobs were unfilled. Combined with tougher anti-immigration policies of the Trump administration, US firms will remain dependent on nations like Ireland to drive future growth.” 

Those mutual benefits are also outlined by the selection of companies that feature in the Irish Examiner’s ‘US Business in Ireland’ special report each year.

In these pages, the Irish Examiner engages with a selection of business leaders in companies operating successfully in both Ireland and the US, opening a window to get a sense of at least some of those mutually beneficial ties.  

https://www.amchambusinessreport.com 

RelateCare: Driving better care through Irish-US collaboration 

RelateCare, a leading Irish American healthcare organisation with operations in Waterford, Tralee, Ohio and Arkansas, is at the forefront of reshaping how patients experience healthcare on both sides of the Atlantic. The company specialises in advanced administrative and clinical virtual support services, designed to streamline every stage of the patient journey by prioritising the needs of both patients and healthcare providers.

RelateCare began in 2013 as a joint venture between Rigneydolphin and the US-based Cleveland Clinic after a highly successful collaboration through an Enterprise Ireland initiative. Since then, the organisation has grown rapidly, with the US playing a central role to its expansion. RelateCare’s administrative and clinical solutions support a wide range of health systems.

RelateCare’s partnership model helps to optimise patient engagement, allowing the healthcare provider to focus on face-to-face bedside care. The organisation’s team of registered nurses and health coaches deliver a range of vital virtual clinical programmes, including post-discharge follow-ups, smoking cessation support, nurse triage, and ambulatory care services. RelateCare leverages a cutting-edge technology infrastructure and a team of highly skilled professionals to provide an outstanding experience to patients worldwide.

As an Irish-founded company headquartered in Waterford with a strong and expanding presence in the United States, RelateCare continues to benefit from deep transatlantic ties, backed by substantial investments in both personnel and technological infrastructure to advance its mission.

With nearly 200 employees in the US complementing its team of 900 in Ireland, the organisation’s success reflects the strength of the broader US-Irish business partnership. Through close collaboration with leading American healthcare institutions, RelateCare is uniquely positioned to address evolving challenges within the US healthcare landscape, while showcasing the impact of Irish innovation on a global stage.

A recent milestone for the organisation is its strategic partnership with Genesys, a global leader in AI-enabled experience orchestration and cloud contact centre technology. Through this collaboration, RelateCare has migrated its US and Irish contact centre operations to the Genesys CX platform, reinforcing its commitment to delivering secure, seamless and patient centred engagement services that are empowered through AI. This transition marks a significant investment in the company’s long-term digital strategy and underpins its mission to connect people with the right care at the right time.

RelateCare’s dedication to strengthening this transatlantic partnership underscores its belief in the transformative impact of collaboration between Ireland and the US. As RelateCare continues to grow, its emphasis on the US market remains central to its ambition to deliver world-class healthcare solutions across the globe. 

Mackin Group, where a focus on relationships sustains success

Global professional services company Mackin Group cites its “relationships matter” ethos as a core reason for its success.

Founded in Cork in 2004, the group includes health and safety consultancy Mackin EHS, Mackin Talent and Greybridge Search & Selection.

The group delivers services globally. For instance, Mackin Talent is a global recruitment & staffing firm, headquartered in Cork, with a regional hub based in North Carolina, USA, to manage the company’s operations in North America. Its clients include some of the world’s largest tech giants, as well as a diverse range of indigenous regional businesses.

In this Q&A interview, Andy Mackin, founder and CEO of Mackin Group, outlines some of the services the group provides to its clients.

Describe one key workforce service provided by your group.

Managed capabilities; this is where we provide end-to-end workforce solutions, from talent sourcing and onboarding to performance management and ongoing support. We are constantly auditing ourselves and reviewing client offerings so that we can be sure the client is ultimately being looked after and they are satisfied with the service being delivered.

A typical project can range from a small project with two or three people up to and including large scale projects that have any amount of personnel. One of our larger projects currently has upwards of 45 people.

We take full responsibility for making sure everything aligns with the clients business needs, allowing them to stay focused on their core business objectives.

Describe one recent initiative.

We have recently partnered with MTU through their internship programme and welcomed a Marketing Intern to the team in these past few weeks. It has given everyone on the global team a great boost and having someone young and energetic join the team is fantastic for everyone.

What makes your company an attractive place to work?

In my opinion, this may sound like a cliché, but we genuinely treat our people with dignity and respect, something that is, unfortunately, lacking in many workplaces today.

On the Mackin Talent side of the business, particularly in the US, where we deliver large-scale vendor-managed capability projects.

Across these teams, everyone is treated as a full-time Mackin employee, receiving all the same benefits, an approach that is almost unheard of in the recruitment and staffing industry in the US.

How would you describe the Mackin Group company culture?

At Mackin our #1 Value is “Relationships Matter”. That’s not just a statement — at Mackin it is at the core of everything we do. This value guides every aspect of the organisation. It is important that people feel valued, supported, and part of something bigger than themselves.

Has the unique US-Irish trade relationship been beneficial to your company and to the two nations?

Yes, the US–Irish trade relationship has been highly beneficial to our company.

For us, as an Irish company with a significant presence in the United States, the relationship provides a strong foundation of trust, shared values, and a deeply integrated business environment. With the US’s scale, capital, and entrepreneurial culture it creates a natural partnership that allows companies like Mackin to grow while maintaining strong roots at home. 

Local talent key to HubSpot’s success in US and Dublin 

When I walk into our Dublin office, I’m reminded that HubSpot’s US-Irish story is ultimately about people, not software. 

Our global headquarters may be in Massachusetts, but Dublin is home to our EMEA base and where much of our growth is shaped – with local talent working closely with colleagues in the US to build, market and support HubSpot’s CRM platform and customer experience at scale.

My role at HubSpot is to help enterprises across Europe grow better, and one of the biggest shifts we’re navigating is how AI is changing the way people find and trust information. For years, growth strategies were built around search. Now, AI-powered answer engines are becoming the first point of contact between a customer and a brand – and sometimes the only one. That shift is global, but it lands locally: European customers often ask different questions and expect more relevant, local proof points and case studies before they commit. Having our EMEA headquarters in Ireland means we stay close to those realities, while still connected to the scale and pace of a US-founded company.

HubSpot didn’t just observe that change from the outside – we experienced it first-hand. We’ve long been associated with inbound marketing and organic discovery, so when AI-powered answer engines started intercepting searches that used to come directly to us, the impact was immediate. We saw a drop in traditional website traffic almost overnight. What mattered most was what happened next: the business continued to grow. When we looked beneath the surface, we found that AI-assisted journeys often brought more informed customers, arriving with greater intent and readiness to act. It reinforced a lesson we now share across Europe and globally: winning isn’t just about volume – it’s about trust, relevance and consistency at the moments that matter.

Responding to that kind of shift isn’t just a product or marketing challenge, it’s an organisational one. As AI changes customer behaviour in real time, teams across Ireland and the US need to share what they’re seeing across the Atlantic, make decisions quickly and change course without losing confidence. That’s why we approach culture the same way we approach product: listen, iterate and be honest when something isn’t working – creating a shared way of working across teams, time zones and markets.

In Dublin, that culture shows up in how we develop talent for the long term, including through Emerging Talent programmes, structured internships and early-career roles where people work on real challenges from day one. For me, that’s the US-Ireland relationship at its best, investing in local talent and giving people a platform to shape how we serve Europe, while connecting them into a global organisation that can scale what works.”

Historic cultural ties underpin strong economic links 

Ireland has a fantastic track record in attracting US companies, with the majority of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Ireland coming from the US. 

There are a number of contributing factors, both historic and economic. The strong cultural and economic relationship between Ireland and the US is very helpful, as are the enduring historical links, recognised by so many past American Presidents.

Last year, prior to meeting An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, for the annual St Patrick’s Day meeting in the White House, President Trump declared March ‘Irish-American Heritage Month’, further deepening the special bond of friendship between the United States and Ireland.

Ireland’s international FDI reputation has been built over many decades and has ensured that we remain a very attractive location for businesses. Ireland is a natural gateway to the European Union (EU), providing companies with barrier-free access to one of the world’s largest economies and a market of c.500m consumers.

Ireland is also the only English-speaking country in the EU, which enhances our attractiveness for FDI. This gateway has certainly contributed economic benefits to Ireland.

Ireland’s track record, talented and educated workforce, tax regime, productivity record, strong legal and regulatory environment and consistent government policy all combine to give confidence to investors when making long-term decisions to invest here.

The track record of IDA Ireland must also be acknowledged and has been critical in attracting US companies to Ireland. The IDA has enjoyed great success in identifying and attracting new FDI companies, retaining and growing existing investors here and developing sectoral clusters.

In 2025, the IDA announced that a record number of FDI investments were approved, particularly in the research, development and innovation space, positioning Ireland strongly for future growth.

Ireland’s FDI performance in 2025 indicates that there is much we are doing right as a country. Our value proposition for FDI is strong and will provide a platform to grow into the future.

At AIB, we are proud to support FDI companies investing in Ireland. We established a dedicated Foreign Direct Investment unit over 40 years ago and have supported numerous international corporates here, ranging from start-ups to some of the world’s largest and most recognisable brands. Our team has local knowledge, experience and expertise across a variety of sectors.

Today we are actively working with our customers to support the transition to a low carbon economy by providing green and transition financing solutions.

We also support our customers with practical training, knowledge sharing and provide ESG sector guides on sustainable practices. AIB’s strong credentials as a sustainability leader align closely with the IDA’s strategy for 2025-2029 of green investment focus and decarbonisation targets.