Growth this year is expected to be a negative one-and-a-half percent, with a rise in the debt/GDP ratio. This is not an advisable direction for the economy to follow. What is of concern is that the debt/GDP ratio at the end of the decade may be back where it was at its beginning.
SMEs are the employers of an even higher majority of the labour force in the construction, services and distribution sectors of the Irish economy.4 Small businesses are present in all sectors in the Irish economy delivering the goods and services we rely on in our daily lives. SMEs are currently operating in a very difficult and uncertain environment.