857 people now work in Digital Hub tenant companies, according to today's statement, compared to 740 employees this time last year. In addition, the number of companies located at The Digital Hub rose by more than 12% in 2008, up from 90 companies in January of this year to 101 at present.

Philip Flynn, chief executive officer of the DHDA, said he was confident that Digital Hub companies were weathering the economic downturn well.

"We are really pleased to see that the Irish digital media industry is continuing to expand," he said. "All industries have faced unexpected challenges over the course of the past year, and many sectors have been hit hard. However, the substantial and continued growth of digital media globally and the focus of Irish digital media companies on highly-skilled ‘knowledge' employees - means that Digital Hub companies have successfully withstood the economic downturn and continue to experience growth.

"Most digital media companies operate in a flexible manner that allows them to quickly respond to changing market needs at any given time. This flexibility has helped them to withstand the economic pressures of 2008. These resilient companies represent the type of highly-skilled creative knowledge economy that will guarantee the future success of Ireland. Continued investment in supporting entrepreneurship and education programmes geared at digital media professionals is imperative if Ireland is to achieve its goal of becoming a knowledge-based society."

In addition to the strong growth in company and employee numbers, The Digital Hub's end-of-year statement also pointed to successes in the areas of learning and community. Over the course of 2008, the project continued to deliver digital media education to 16 local schools, and a number of local community partners.