The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council has published its annual report for Government on the key competitiveness and productivity challenges facing the Irish economy. The report contains specific policy actions to address the challenges identified.
The report highlights the recently implemented Enhanced Reporting Requirements (ERR) for employers as a contributing factor to rising labour-related costs, driven by the requirement for employers to comply with additional reporting obligations mandated by ERR. The Council has recommended that a review is undertaken of the proportionality of the current ERR rules with consideration to be given to amendments for SMEs below a certain threshold (i.e., below 20 staff and/or below €1m in annual turnover) to lower the relative administrative burden.
Welcoming the report, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD, said:
"I welcome the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council’s analysis and recommendations, as set out in Ireland’s Competitiveness Challenge 2025. I also welcome the various positive findings by the Council about Ireland’s competitiveness performance – including an overall ranking of 7th in the IMD World Competitiveness Rankings – and concur with the Council’s assessment that we must not take our strong position for granted, given the highly competitive and uncertain global context in which we find ourselves. It is important for Ireland to retain its core strengths while addressing weaknesses.
This work by the Council is highly valuable to Government. This year’s Challenge report has been an important input into the development of the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity which was discussed at the second annual Competitiveness Summit this week. The government will take the recommendations from the Council into consideration and will issue a formal reply in due course."
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