Waterford offers excellent options for employers, with a population of about 114,000 which is boosted by over 10,000 students attending the university level Waterford Institute of Technology.
Multilingual Workforce For A Global Market
Ireland is the only English speaking country in the Eurozone making it an ideal base from which to service global markets:
500k
Over half a million Irish residents speak a foreign language fluently
17%
17% of the population is international
IMD World Competitiveness Report 2015
The IMD World Competitiveness Report 2015 Key Rankings show Ireland is ranked No. 1 for:
- Competent senior managers are readily available
- Flexibility & adaptability of people are high when faced new challenges
- The national culture is open to foreign ideas
Population
The population of Waterford County is about 114,000 people. The graphic below illustrates the number of people within a reasonable commuting distance of Waterford City.

Waterford City’s Catchment Area Population
Primary Catchment | Waterford City | 50,000 |
---|---|---|
Primary Catchment Primary Catchment | Waterford City 30 min radius | 50,000 40,000 |
Primary Catchment Secondary Catchment | Waterford City 45 min radius | 50,000 60,000 |
Primary Catchment | Waterford City 60 min radius | 50,000 120,000 |
Primary Catchment Total | Waterford City | 50,000 270,000 |
Key Demographics
- Ireland’s young workforce (the youngest population in Europe with 40% under 29 years) is capable, highly adaptable, mobile and committed to achievement.
- Ireland has one of the lowest old age dependency ratios at just 18.6%, compared to 27.5% in the EU.
- Ireland has stable labour costs with only a 3% change from 2008-2015.
- Professional salaries in Dublin are, on average between 8% - 15% higher than in Waterford.