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Employment levels could reach pre-recession peak

One of the longest-established economic research firms in Ireland , DKM, have today released their ‘Snapshot of Economic Forecasts’ which gives a comprehensive outlook for the Irish economy based on the latest projections from 13 leading sources, including both Irish and key international bodies such as the IMF, EU and OECD.

The report forecasts that GDP will grow at a higher rate than any other Eurozone member at 4.7% in 2016 and 3.9% in 2017. The growth is primarily driven by consumption, investment and exports.

Exports are set to grow strongly in 2016 and 2017, at 5.6% and 5.4% respectively, as net exports are set to contribute positively to growth.

Furthermore, the report indicates that unemployment should fall to 8.1% and 7.3% in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Youth unemployment is additionally on a downward trajectory reaching 20.3% in January 2016, down from the 2012 peak of 30.9%.

Domestic demand growth is taking over from export growth as the main driver of increased incomes and employment. Domestic demand is set to expand by 5.1% and 4.0% in 2016 and 2017, which is the fastest in the Euro Area.

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ISME call for legislation to prohibit strikes in public utilities and essential services

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) yesterday condemned unions for making “unrealistic” pay demands and holding employers and the general public to ransom in pursuit of “unsustainable” claims.

Speaking after the release of the CSO Industrial disputes figures yesterday, the ISME have called on the Government to legislate to prohibit strikes in public utilities and essential services.

During 2015 there were 32,964 days lost to industrial disputes. This compares with 44,015 days lost in 2014 according to Central Statistics Office figures.

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50% of Irish don’t believe any political party has a strong job creation policy

IrishJobs.ie have released new research which shows that almost 50% (49.2%) of people (both employed and unemployed) don’t believe any political party has a strong job creation policy.

This is according to their latest Jobseeker Sentiment Survey which has been released a day before the general election. It shows that 36% of people feel that a new Government will not have an impact on job creation while only 20% feel our political parties are equipped with adequate job creation strategies.

Twenty eight per cent believe Fine Gael are the best party to create employment. Ths is followed by Sinn Féin on 16% with Fianna Fáil and the Social Democrats tied on 12% and Labour on 8%.

In total, 46% of people believe the jobs market is continuously improving and 60% of unemployed people said they will not emigrate for work in 2016.

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Clare Local Enterprise Week 2016

It was announced yesterday that Clare Local Enterprise Week 2016 will take place from March 7th to 11th at various locations around the county.

The weeklong series of business training workshops and networking events is aimed at informing, advising and motivating businesses and potential entrepreneurs in relation to the range of supports and opportunities in Clare and is the first to be hosted by Local Enterprise Office Clare.

It will kick off on Monday 7th March with a Primary Course in Food Safety at Scariff Co-Op (09.30am-1pm), Start Your Own Business Programme at Westpark Shannon (9.30am-4.30pm) and a Patents Workshop at Áras Contae an Chláir in Ennis (midday-4pm).

On 8th March there will be a Business Breakfast at the Oakwood Arms in Shannon (7am-9am) followed by the Student Enterprise Awards County Final at Treacy’s West County Hotel (9am-2pm) and a Local Enterprise Office Clare information event in Kilrush (7pm-9pm).

The 9th of March will see a Facebook Adverts Workshop in Miltown Malbay (09:30am-4.30pm), Business Clinic for Owner/Manager of Food Businesses at The Falls Hotel in Ennistymon (5pm-8pm) and a Start Your Own Business Programme at The Junction Building in Ennis (6-9pm).

On 10th march, a Discover Lough Derg Enterprise Bus will travel around the Lough Derg Area (9.30am-5.30pm), Áras Contae an Chláir hosts an event entitled ‘Why set up a technology business?’ (10am-1pm) and ‘Funding Options to Grow Your Business’ is the theme of an event at Treacy’s West County Hotel (5pm-7.30pm).

Finally, the National Enterprise Awards County Final will be held in The Rowan Tree, Ennis from midday to 3.00pm on 11th March where Clare’s representative for the National event will be selected. Last year, Clare’s representative Aine Knitwear, Clonlara won the National Best Design award.

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Irish SMEs feel Government not doing enough for them

In a survey of 540 IT decision makers throughout Ireland, just 24pc said the Government was doing enough for businesses like theirs, compared to 62pc who say the Government is under-delivering.

Just over 20pc of SMEs felt the Government could reduce costs to the sector, by reviewing taxes, travel and childcare, while 17pc wanted the introduction of grants, funding and loans, the Magnet 2016 Regional Business Barometer research found. Despite the significant number who feel the Government is not doing enough, the figure is an improvement on last year when 82pc felt that not enough was being done.

The data also reveals low awareness and uptake of government grants. Only 11pc of IT decision makers are aware of government technology or business grants. The West has the lowest awareness of any grants available for SMEs at 4pc, the highest awareness occurred in the Mid-East at 15pc.

However, overall the survey found that business outlook is good, with 74pc saying they have a positive business outlook for the next 12 months. The business outlook is most positive in the West, at 81pc for Roscommon, Galway and Mayo.

The most negative outlook can be found in the Mid-East region, at 11pc for Meath, Kildare and Wicklow.

Finding candidates with the right skills proved the most difficult challenge in recruiting staff for 37pc of respondents followed by cutbacks in budget at 31pc.

Working from home or on the road has also increased. Almost two-thirds had staff working from home on a regular basis while over half had staff working while on the road.

Article source: Irish Independent

Small Firms Association call for Small Business Minister

To co-incide with the start of Election Week, the Small Firms Association (SFA) has circulated a Small Business Manifesto to its 8,500 members around the country.

The Association have called for an end to “tax discrimination” against the self-employed and entrepreneurs. Their manifesto also calls for the need to tackle the rising cost of doing business
in Ireland as well as the neccessity of boosting investment by improving the capital gains tax regime.

In particular, the SFA have called for the reintroduction of a Small Business Minister.

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