The decision by Dell, the world's second largest personal computer maker, to move its European manufacturing base from Ireland to Poland, shedding 1,900 jobs, is a blow for the Irish -economy.

It is the first big US technology company to quit Ireland in favour of a lower-cost location in eastern Europe, and the decision may be an early-warning sign of further closures by US multinationals seeking to cut costs in face of the global slowdown.