Irish firms lead the way in social media usage

Most European enterprises employing 10 or more people now have their own website, with Irish businesses leading the way in how they use social media.

In the EU, 30% of enterprises used at least one type of social media in 2013, though only 8% had a formal policy for social media use.

Ireland was the exception, with 20% of enterprises having a formal policy for using social media for their business.

The next highest was the Netherlands (18%), Cyprus (17%), and Denmark (16%). In 19 of the EU states, the share was below 10%.

These data come from a report published by Eurostat, which is the statistical office of the EU.

They form part of the results of a survey conducted at the beginning of 2013 on information and communication technologies usage and e-commerce in enterprises in the 28 member states along with Iceland, Norway, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The proportion of enterprises with a website differed among member states, with the largest shares recorded in Finland (94% of enterprises with at least 10 persons employed), Denmark (92%), Sweden (89%), Austria (86%), Germany and the Netherlands (both 84%).

Countries with the smallest shares included Romania (42%), Bulgaria (47%), Latvia (56%), Portugal (59%), Greece and Hungary (both 61%).

The use of social media ranged from 15% of enterprises in Latvia to 55% in Malta.

The share of enterprises using at least one type of social media ranged from 15% in Latvia, 16% in the Czech Republic and 19% in France, Poland and Romania, to 55% in Malta, 50% in the Netherlands, 48% in Ireland, 45% in Sweden and 42% in the United Kingdom.

The largest shares of enterprises using blogs in the Netherlands, the UK, and Ireland.