Global CityIntelligence

Economy & jobs

Economy and jobs in Ballina

Ballina has a tourism-driven economy with strengths in tourism, hospitality and technology.

Economy type
Tourism economy
Economy score
78/100

Economy overview

Ballina has a tourism-driven economy with strengths in tourism, hospitality and technology.

Ballina, Ireland is classified as a tourism economy in our deterministic economy index. These are planning estimates derived from country economic priors and existing city signals — not measured GDP or labour-market statistics. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16.

Key industries

The sectors that most shape the local economy, derived deterministically from country and city signals.

Key industries

  • Tourism
  • Hospitality
  • Technology
  • Research
  • Software
  • Manufacturing

Employment outlook

The breadth of the labour market and where opportunities concentrate.

Employment outlook

Employment77/100
Job market78/100

Ballina's labour market is strong, with opportunities concentrated in tourism and hospitality, technology and healthcare.

Salary potential

Estimated pay levels and how far local incomes stretch against the cost of living.

Salary potential

Salary potential78/100
Affordability-adjusted income72/100

The affordability-adjusted income score combines estimated pay with the local cost of living, indicating how far a typical income stretches in Ballina.

Business environment

Conditions for operating and growing a business locally.

Business environment

Business environment81/100

This reflects infrastructure, institutional capacity, and the scale of the local market relative to peer cities.

Startup ecosystem

How supportive the local ecosystem is for new ventures.

Startup ecosystem

Startup ecosystem73/100
Innovation77/100

The startup ecosystem in Ballina is strong, supported by universities and skilled talent, a favourable business environment and strong infrastructure.

Remote work suitability

Suitability for remote and distributed work.

Remote work suitability

Remote work85/100
Remote job availability82/100

Ballina offers strong infrastructure and amenities for remote professionals, with a remote-work score of 85/100.

Career opportunities

Overall career opportunity and how it breaks down by sector.

Career opportunities

Overall career opportunity78/100
Technology77/100
Healthcare61/100
Finance50/100
Manufacturing59/100
Tourism87/100
Education58/100

Economy score

A 0–100 composite of employment, salary, business environment, startups, innovation, remote work, and affordability-adjusted income. Used consistently across the platform.

Economy score

Economy score78/100
Employment77/100
Salary78/100
Business environment81/100
Startup ecosystem73/100
Innovation77/100
Remote work85/100

Jobs score

A 0–100 labour-market composite and its sector components.

Jobs score

Job market78/100
Technology77/100
Healthcare61/100
Finance50/100
Manufacturing59/100
Tourism87/100
Education58/100
Remote availability82/100
Career opportunity78/100

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