The funds industry in Ireland

The funds industry has a range of job opportunities for graduates.

Funds industry employers can be found in a variety of locations in Ireland, from Dublin to Cork, Limerick, Galway and Kilkenny. The industry is young and vibrant, with 70 per cent of those working in the sector under thirty years of age.

What are investment funds?

An investment fund is created when a group of people or organisations pool their resources to act as one large investor. The advantages for investors are that they can invest across a wider spectrum of financial products (thereby mitigating risk) and benefit from the advice of professionals.

Ireland serves many different types of funds. Hedge fund management is particularly prominent. Hedge funds are a type of fund with a performance fee payable to the fund managers attached. Hedge funds also have fewer restrictions on the types of investments they can make and fewer people are allowed to invest in them. There are also other types of funds such as property and private equity.

There are three main players in the funds industry:

The fund promoters
These organisations are responsible for marketing and selling investment opportunities to prospective investors.

The fund managers
These organisations decide which investments to make to increase the value of the fund.

The fund administrators
These organisations carry out the services for the fund to operate and to ensure it complies with legal requirements.

In Ireland the majority of job opportunities are with fund administrators, although there are some opportunities with promoters and managers. Leading investment banks also provide services for fund management companies or fund management services for clients.