Global CityIntelligence

Economy & jobs

Economy and jobs in Cork

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

Economy type
Tourism economy
Economy score
84/100

Economy overview

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

Cork, 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
  • Biotech

Employment outlook

The breadth of the labour market and where opportunities concentrate.

Employment outlook

Employment83/100
Job market84/100

Cork's labour market is very 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 potential85/100
Affordability-adjusted income78/100

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

Business environment

Conditions for operating and growing a business locally.

Business environment

Business environment86/100

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 ecosystem82/100
Innovation85/100

The startup ecosystem in Cork is very 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 work88/100
Remote job availability87/100

Cork offers strong infrastructure and amenities for remote professionals, with a remote-work score of 88/100.

Career opportunities

Overall career opportunity and how it breaks down by sector.

Career opportunities

Overall career opportunity85/100
Technology85/100
Healthcare68/100
Finance63/100
Manufacturing62/100
Tourism96/100
Education67/100

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 score84/100
Employment83/100
Salary85/100
Business environment86/100
Startup ecosystem82/100
Innovation85/100
Remote work88/100

Jobs score

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

Jobs score

Job market84/100
Technology85/100
Healthcare68/100
Finance63/100
Manufacturing62/100
Tourism96/100
Education67/100
Remote availability87/100
Career opportunity85/100

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Continue researching this city across the platform's other planning surfaces.

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