Irish accountants ‘the most pessimistic’ on global growth

Irish accountants are the most pessimistic in the world in terms of business confidence, with most observing that global trade is drying up.

More than half report a loss of confidence in the prospects of their organisations over the last three months, with just 12% reporting confidence gains, a new survey reveals.

The Irish members of the global body ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) were the only group in which not a single accountant surveyed said they were “much more confident” than three months earlier. In fact, 87% of Irish respondents felt the global economy was stagnating or deteriorating.