We asked SME bosses across the

country for their views on four key

areas:

• Business Sentiment

• Support

• Staffing

• Skills

Irish SMEs

Ireland’s SMEs support

communities and

provide valuable

employment.

Is outlook good?

• 1 in 12 of SMEs felt outlook

negative

• 2 in 12 of general public felt

outlook negative

Sentiment

1 in 12Asked about business outlook over the next 12

months, only 1 in 12 felt the outlook was negative.

Just 9 per cent of SMEs

thought the recession

was deepening.

46 %

10%

3%

15 %

Very Positive

Fairly Positive

26%

Neither/Nor

Fairly Negative

Very Negative

1%

Don’t Know

• Most positive in Mid-West: 73 per cent

expected good year

• Most negative in northern border

region: 16 per cent felt things not

looking rosy

• General population not so positive:

17 per cent felt economy worsening

• Figure almost halved among SMEs: Just

9 per cent thought recession deepening

Outlook was most positive in the Mid-West.

Sentiment

+

73%

-

16%

Outlook was most positive in the Mid-West, where

73% started the year with a positive viewpoint.

The most negativity was to be found in

the northern border region where 16%

didn’t think things were looking rosy.

• For SMEs with 6-10

employees: 16 per cent said

they're planning to grow

• Plans for expansion greatest in

Mid-East, including Meath, Kildare

and Wicklow: 16 per cent with eye

on new premises

Sentiment

Economic Recovery Indicator Score By Region

Despite most approaching the year with a

sense of positivity, only one in ten expected

to open new premises within the year.

This figure rose slightly among SMEs with

6-10 employees, with 16% of this group

saying they planned to branch out.

38.945.5

47.7

43.8

48.7

General

population

SMEs

North

West

Mid-West

South-West

South-East

Midlands Mid

East Dublin

55.1

Only one in10 expected

to open new premises

within the year.

44.2

46.8

46.3

47.4

• 50 per cent of SME bosses said

budget positive for small

businesses

• 61 per cent felt government

was doing very little

• Most disenfranchised were in

Midlands – Longford,

Westmeath, Offaly and Laois

Yes, doing a lot

Yes, doing enough

Not, doing enough

No, doing very little

Don’t know

Support

1 in 10SME bosses didn’t think

the government was

doing enough for them

generally.

25%61%

4% 1%9%

All SMEs

Base:600

One in 10 didn’t thinkthe

government was doing

enough for them.

• Just 11 per cent of SMEs aware

of government grants

• Group least aware of available

grants were SOHOs: 90 per

cent unaware

• Only 3 per cent of SMEs

successfully accessed the

€5,000 on offer through

Enterprise Ireland

• 5 per cent applied for the grant

but failed to win funding

The group least aware of the

grants available was Small

Office, Home Office-based

businesses (SOHOs) - 90% of

this group weren’t aware of

potential funding.

Only 3% of SMEs

successfully accessed the

€5,000 on offer through

the Enterprise Ireland

Voucher.

Support

Greater awareness of

potential grants is

needed.

11%

Only 11% of

SMEs were

aware of

government

business and

technology

grants that

were available.

€5000

90%

N/A 6%

Never Tried 90%

Tried but unsuccessful inprocess 1%

Accessed successfully 1%

All SMEsBase: 400

Access to online trading voucher

• Highest number of home

workers recorded among

SOHOs: 22 per cent had staff

working from home

Staff

8%

70%

All SMEs

Base: 600

80 -100%

Percentage of staff who work from home on a regular basis

16%

4%

40 -79%

1 -39%

0%

1 in 6Companies said the majority of their

staff (80% - 100%) worked from home.

70 per cent of SMEs

indicated that none of

their staff worked

from home.

• 80 per cent no cloud system

• 89 per cent no tablets

• 80 per cent no laptops

• 75 per cent no smartphones

How can they stay in touch?

Staff

1/4

1/5Of firms had introduced cloud

systems for staff or clients.

1 in 5One infive was supplied

with a laptop.

A quarter of staff in

SMEs were provided

with a company

smart phone.

Implementation of cloud services

Companies with more

than six employeeswere

far more likely to have

technology at theirdisposal.

19% 4% 1%

Don’t know

79%

Yes -for use by staff

Yes – for use by clients

No

• 4 in 10 not looking to hire

• For those looking to hire, biggest

single challenge was finding the

right skills

Skills

Four in 10 said they

were not looking

to hire.

• Over 50 per cent of SMEs with

more than 11 employees said

shortage of the right skills was

barrier to successful recruitment

• Skill shortages impeding growth

Finding candidates with the right skills

Cutbacks in budget

Finding graduates with the right skills

Competition from other employers

Social welfare benefits

Tax is too high

Brain Drain

High salary expectations

N/A

Other 3%

1%

2%

4%

43%

31%

10%

8%

2%

2%