'In Cork, the biggest challenges we’re seeing is the recruitment and retention of staff'

For Local Enterprise Week, Dr Niall O'Keeffe writes about the challenges small businesses are currently facing

Dr Niall O’Keeffe: 'As part of Local Enterprise Week, we’ve launched an 86-page booklet which aims to assist entrepreneurs in Cork to navigate the range of support available at each stage of business.'

Small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of our economy. According to the Central Statistics Office, companies employing fewer than 250 people accounted for 99.8% of all active enterprises in Ireland during 2020 and generated almost 42% of the total turnover in the business economy that year.

The figures for the number of new business start-ups officially registered during 2021 are also very positive at more than 25,000, however, it’s estimated more than one business a day closes in Ireland.