Small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

Costs have increased for almost 80% of small Irish businesses in the past six months, with staff costs the biggest financial challenge faced by SMEs, according to the inaugural SME Business Sentiment Survey from Chartered Accountants Ireland and GRID Finance. The survey, which will be repeated every six months, will measure and track the experiences, confidence and sentiment of a range of SMEs, including small accounting practices, doing business in Ireland today.   Staff costs the biggest financial challenge  3 in 4 (77%) respondents say that business costs have increased in the past six months, with staff costs the biggest financial challenge facing 2 in 5 (37%). Small practices were particularly challenged by staff costs (cost of salaries and other benefits and compensations), with half citing it as their single biggest financial issue.  Operational costs (24%) and regulatory compliance costs (14%) were the other biggest financial challenges facing SMEs, ahead of working capital management and access to funding. 57% identified regulatory compliance as the area in which they most need government support (rising to 75% amongst small practice respondents).  Eoin Christian, CEO, GRID Finance said    "These findings align with our own research conducted earlier this year – rising costs, particularly staff-related expenses are creating significant pressure on Irish SMEs. While these challenges are real, they also represent an opportunity for SMEs to take stock, streamline operations and invest in smart, sustainable growth strategies. At GRID Finance, we continue to advise our clients to be proactive by forecasting future cash flow needs, exploring flexible funding options and staying ahead of regulatory requirements like auto-enrolment.      “We feel that it's vital that both Government and financial providers evolve in tandem with the changing landscape. With the right supports and partners, Irish SMEs can not only weather this period of cost pressure, but emerge from it stronger, more resilient and better prepared for the future” Auto-enrolment, due to come into effect in January 2026 met with a muted response. Only 2 in 5 (40%) of respondents feel that they have been adequately informed of the steps needed to implement it in time for its planned launch.  Cróna Clohisey, Director of Members and Advocacy, Chartered Accountants Ireland said  “The Government’s announcement that it will defer the launch of auto enrolment to January 2026 is welcome, particularly in view of the feeling of unpreparedness many businesses expressed in this survey.  Many remain very unclear as to what is expected of them in advance of the new system launching. Over the next six months, it is imperative that Government embarks on a concerted communications and awareness campaign to bridge this information deficit and equip businesses with the support and guidance they need to make auto enrolment the success it needs to be.”  Attitudes to & use of Government supports The survey revealed a significant gap between demand for, and uptake of government supports called for by SMEs: Tax relief or incentives – 40% called for these, but only 16% of total survey respondents report availing of them  Access to grants or loans - 31% called for these, but only 30% of total survey respondents report availing of them  Meeting energy costs – 28% called for these, but only 14% of total survey respondents report availing of them.  Attitudes to the effectiveness of the supports are mixed, which may go some way to accounting for the gap between demand and uptake:  5% feel supports for reducing regulatory and compliance burdens are effective.  22% rate access to grants or loans as effective. 23% believe supports for training and upskilling are effective.  Commenting Cróna Clohisey said “There is an evident mismatch between the need for supports and the uptake of those on offer. In the case of tax reliefs and access to grants or loans for example, this may be attributable to a perceived lack of accessibility, particularly for time and resource-constrained SMEs who simply find the application process too cumbersome. While the breath of current Government supports in these areas is positive, further steps need to be taken to ensure that business reliefs such as these are not overly difficult to claim if their effectiveness is to be meaningfully felt by small businesses.”    Mixed profitability and projections for coming year  Almost 3 in 10 (28%) report their business profitability has increased in the past six months, while a similar number (26%) report it has decreased. Small practice respondents reported greater stability, with 56% saying profitability remained the same, and only 15% saying it has decreased. For small business respondents, 30% reported decreased profitability in the past six months.     Despite the various economic headwinds facing the economy, there was a degree of optimism amongst respondents about their prospects for the coming year. 27% of respondents forecasted their business to be either somewhat or significantly better off by this time next year.  Overall, sentiment was more negative than positive however, with 36% saying they will be worse off.  Less optimism in the face of global headwinds   This negative sentiment was also evident when it comes to the broader economic environment, with a majority (74%) feeling less optimistic about the wider economy’s prospects compared to six months ago. Compounding this are ongoing tensions and uncertainty in global trade which have already impacted Irish business sentiment. 62% of respondents report that their business operations have been impacted by global trade tensions and tariffs and only 14% say they are prepared for a further escalation of such tensions.  The SME Business Sentiment Survey from Chartered Accountants Ireland and GRID Finance can be read in full here.   ENDS About the SME Business Sentiment Survey  The SME Business Sentiment Survey is conducted by Chartered Accountants Ireland and GRID Finance, the Institute’s Official Independent Lender Partner. The inaugural survey was conducted by Coyne Research between 4 and 21 April 2025 and will be repeated every six months. Approximately 300 members were surveyed from organisations employing fewer than 250 people.  

Chartered Accountants Ireland has today circulated the Institute's Key Policy Priorities, based on member engagement, as discussions commence on the formation of the next Government. Focused on supporting small business and improving childcare provision for working parents, we will continue to amplify our members' voices as the negotiating process continues.

After a frenetic three-week campaign, General Election 2024 has essentially left us where we began – with a likely Government led by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael albeit this time without the Greens.  The precise makeup of the final coalition is as yet unclear. However, given that the outgoing coalition’s collective seat take will likely not leave them far off the 88 seats needed to command a Dáil majority, it is safe to say that whoever gets the nod to make up the numbers won’t have the same bargaining power to influence policy as some previous smaller coalition partners may have had.  Against this backdrop, it’s safe to assume that the next Programme for Government will largely, if not entirely, be dictated by the policy priorities set out by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in their general election manifestos. So, what might this mean for small businesses?  Addressing the cost of doing business  In their respective pre-election pledges, both parties were keen to highlight their awareness of the rising costs of doing business. In Fianna Fáil’s case, they pledged to address this by establishing a new “Cost of Business Advisory Forum” to conduct a review of all current business costs and taxes.  According to the party’s manifesto, “this forum will be consulted before introducing new legislation or policies that affect small businesses.”  Likewise, in its manifesto, Fine Gael took a similar tack by reasserting its commitment to apply what it calls the “SME test” to any new legislation coming down the track – a test that would essentially require all departments to first assess the impact on small businesses of any new measures being proposed prior to enactment.  So, with both parties essentially singing from the same hymn sheet on the issue, it is likely that we will see the announcement of some sort of new initiative designed to limit the amount of new regulations that could further add to the cost burdens of small businesses.   Employers’ PRSI   Again on the issue of reducing business costs, both parties also made specific commitments to reduce the Employers’ PRSI burden where lower earning workers are employed.  While Fine Gael favoured a temporary, three-year PRSI rebate based on the number of lower-earning workers on a company’s payroll, Fianna Fáil pledged an outright reduction to the lower rate of employers PRSI by 1.5 percent.  The logic behind the latter proposal (we know this because the Institute’s pre-election manifesto originally proposed it) is to mitigate the concurrent 1.5 percent uptick in payroll costs due to hit many employers in late 2025 through the introduction of pensions auto-enrolment.  So again, with both parties essentially aligned here, it’s fair to say that a reduction or rebate of the lower rate of Employers’ PRSI in some format will also likely feature in the next Programme for Government.   VAT on hospitality  The issue of VAT on hospitality was a notably contentious issue in the run up to Budget 2024 with the Government ultimately refusing to reinstate the reduced nine percent rate despite extensive lobbying from the sector.  However, the way in which each party subsequently approached the issue in their election manifestos is perhaps telling of a policy fissure between the two.  Fine Gael clearly favours a reduction, albeit to a midway rate of 11 percent while Fianna Fáil is notably silent on the issue in its manifesto, instead placing its focus on maintaining VAT on gas and electricity bills at nine percent for the next five years.  How this difference in approach will ultimately play out in the final Programme for Government is as yet unclear. However, Fine Gael’s pledge to implement a reduction will no doubt have created an expectation from the hospitality sector that some sort of action will be taken on reducing the rate.  Energy supports  High energy costs continue to be an issue for many small businesses and the manifestos of both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have again sought to tackle this through further one-off grant schemes.  In Fianna Fáil’s case, the party has pledged to introduce a successor to the Increased Cost of Business/Power Up grant schemes to help hospitality and retail businesses deal with higher energy bills.  Likewise, Fine Gael has promised a new energy cost grant scheme, “to help businesses lower their energy costs, enabling them to operate more sustainably.” Given that the two parties appear to be broadly aligned on the issue, a new round of temporary energy support grants seems likely.  However, what is less clear is how the announcement of these relatively piecemeal measures will be received by businesses, particularly given the slow uptake of previous such schemes over the past two years. Stephen Lowry is Head of Public Policy at Chartered Accountants Ireland