The IDA says more than 15,000 jobs were created last year - bringing employment at client firms to the highest on record.
However, when job losses were taken into account the net increase was 7,131.
197 investments were made last year up 20% on 2013, 88 of those were from new investments.
The IDA says it will roll out a strategy for the next phase of development in the first quarter of this year.
Commenting the Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said: “Foreign direct investment is a central part of our Action Plan for Jobs. Multinational companies account for almost 10% of the Irish workforce and are of crucial strategic importance for the economy due to the quality of the jobs involved, their export focus and the massive knock-on impact they have on the wider economy.
"That is why we have put in place a range of new measures to support extra jobs in this area over the past 4 years, such as extra IDA staff in foreign markets, increased skilled graduates and an improved tax offering."
Mr Bruton says the figures were the best in a decade:
THe IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan says regional investments are growing:
