199,000 firms in 2009 with turnover of €359bn

MORE than 199,000 companies were active in the Irish economy in 2009, with a combined turnover of €359.4 billion and a production value of €231.5bn, according to a new annual survey by the Central Statistics Office.

The survey marks the start of an initiative by the CSO to measure the structure and performance of Ireland’s main business sectors of industry, construction, distribution, services and financials.

In 2009 small enterprises accounted for just over 50% of the total workforce and just over 30% of turnover. Some 2.1% of companies were foreign owned, accounting for 21.6% of the workforce and over 50% of total gross value added. The main area of foreign ownership was manufacturing, where nearly 10% of all companies were overseas-owned. Foreign companies generated combined turnover of €159.5bn.