Basque business leaders will on Thursday host the Be Basque talent conference in Dublin to convince skilled technology professionals to move to the region following widespread layoffs in the tech sector.
The Basques will offer a raft of 11-year income tax breaks, work-life balance incentives, and quality of life factors to lure back the talent it lost following the 2008 crash at a time of contraction and uncertainty for Dublin's multinational tech sector.
Ireland was one of the top destinations for Spanish and Basque professionals during the financial crisis, with the Spanish population of Ireland increasing 78% between 2011 and 2016, the highest such increase among all nationalities.
Basque institutions have introduced a series of incentives, including technical support services and tax breaks for workers and entrepreneurs that choose to relocate, with expats returning and foreign professionals arriving both eligible for an income tax rebate of 50%, for up to 11 years.
The region has open positions in software engineering, data analysis, and other areas, and its culinary scene also has thousands of open jobs and high levels of foreign direct investment.
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A high proportion of the Basque Country's GDP is dedicated to research and development (R&D), and it also boasts a high ranking in the OECD's Wellbeing Indicator.
The region is already home to a number of business giants, including Iberdrola, the world’s second-largest energy supplier, and compares favourably with Madrid and Barcelona as a ‘scale up’ destination.
Bizkai Talent will host the Be Basque talent conference at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in Dublin city centre on Thursday evening (6:30-8:30pm), connecting job seekers with companies based in Bizkaia.
Over 30 professionals are registered to attend the conference, with the emphasis of the event very much on luring Ireland-based talent to the industrialised and semi-autonomous region of Spain. Participating organisations include GAIA, We Bring Strategy Consultants and Dative_.
(Pic: Getty Images)
