Finally - A Positive Headline About Ireland - From Facebook

The news from Ireland these days is all about economics and just about all gloomy. One small bright spot, however, is a comment from fast-growing Facebook that the company is actually planning to boost its number of employees there next year. Facebook has about 200 Irish folk in its Dublin office, which serves as headquarters for Europe and the Middle East. Apparently, it’s planning to add another 100 or so staffers in the coming year.

According to Facebook’s top exec in Ireland, John Herlihy, the two reasons Ireland remains attractive are it’s great talent pool and rock-bottom corporate tax rate of 12.5% (America’s corporate tax rate, by comparison, is about 40%). All of this would seem to back up the Irish government’s decision to keep that rate low in spite of other belt-tightening measures in the wake to the recent massive bailout from the EU. More on Facebook and other tech giants staying in Ireland on this Forbes blog.