Ireland is recognised as having a world class education system and a highly educated population. Recent years have seen the introduction of many positive changes to our education and training system; however our economy still has significant skills gaps which risk impeding our economic growth and future job creation. The current skills mismatches and gaps
It is estimated that almost €4billion could be owed to Irish businesses due to late payments, an average of almost €23,000 per business. This massive sum of uncollected revenue has become a drain on Irish business and the Irish economy as a whole. There are many consequences of late payments for businesses of all sizes but for
Following the UK’s vote yesterday to exit the European Union, we are left with a large degree of uncertainty on what will now follow. The UK’s vote to leave the EU now requires the application of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. This will involve the UK notifying the European Council of its intention to
The Result: Following the UK’s vote yesterday to exit the European Union, we are left with a large degree of uncertainty on what will now follow. However, there are a few things we know that will and won’t happen in the aftermath of the result. In the immediate term, we can expect some degree of
Guest blog by Michael Alario, Boston College, Policy Intern with Chambers Ireland The Africa Ireland Economic Forum was born in 2011 out of the Department of National Affairs’ re-imagined strategy for diplomatic and business development between Ireland and Africa. This is the third such Forum since then. Giving the opening address, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise
The findings of the ‘dot ie Digital Health Index’ study by the IE Domain Registry have outlined that about one in six (or 17%) of Irish SMEs do not have a web presence. A significant number of SMEs without an online presence highlighted lack of adequate broadband provision as preventing them from getting online. As a business
It is very disappointing to read today that the Government has confirmed a delay in the roll out of the National Broadband Plan. Reports state that the plan will be delayed due to planning and procedural issues and negotiations with those bidding to deliver the plan will not commence until later this year. This could potentially delay
The National Competitiveness Council’s ‘Costs of Doing Business in Ireland 2016’ report published today (21 April 2016) highlights the many risks facing Irish economic growth and the need to address cost competitiveness in our economy. Commenting on the publication of the report, Mark O’Mahoney, Chambers Ireland said, “This report is a reminder that despite continued
In recent years and months Chambers Ireland has repeatedly called for strategic investment in infrastructure. As part of our General Election manifesto, A Vision for 2021, we called on the next Government to be resolute in its commitment to secure and sustain our economic future and focus on the development of our capacity to grow. Capital investment
The National Competitiveness Council last week issued its Why Competitiveness Matters Bulletin. Its key message during this time of political uncertainty in Ireland is that, “the same urgency and commitment that went into bringing down the government deficit, stabilising debt levels and securing the banking system must now go into maintaining and improving competitiveness.” We absolutely
The 2016 IMD World Competitiveness Scorecard has placed Ireland as the 7th most competitive place to do business. It is great to see Ireland’s international competiveness performance improve with a dramatic increase from 16th to 7th place in one year. The improvement in Ireland’s ranking shows recognition of Ireland’s strong economic performance in 2015-2016. Ireland’s improved competitiveness ranking
Chambers Ireland has been advocating for and promoting the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for years. Our Chamber Network has an active interest in the core focus of CSR as Chambers are at the heart of the communities in which they operate and are continuously striving to improve the local area and community in which Chamber