The Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association's survey shows an improvement in the Government satisfaction rating from last year.

The Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association has welcomed the establishment of the long-awaited government sponsored Credit Guarantee Scheme for businesses with less collateral available than required by the "now over-cautious rescued" banks.

The Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association says the issuing of "sick certs" must become the subject of an investigation.

One in 10 small businesses say they are less optimistic about business prospects compared to 2011, according to a new survey.

More than 1,000 people a month joined the dole queue over the last year.

The cost of goods and services increased by 2.1% in the year to the end of February, according to latest data published today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The number of women out of work for more than a year has soared by a fifth.

The annual rate of inflation fell to 2.2% in January from 2.5% the previous month, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said today.

There was mixed reaction to the Government’s long-awaited action plan on jobs, with groups welcoming proposals but claiming they were not backed up by funds.

The Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association has demanded the immediate introduction of the Government’s "much announced" and "much delayed" Jobs Initiative.

Retailers have said they are hopeful that the volume of sales from the Christmas period will be up on last year, following the release of figures today showing a sales boost for last month.

The volume of retail sales increased slightly last month, but overall the annual rate has fallen by 0.8% in the year to November.

SHOPPERS and retailers have been warned to be extra vigilant over Christmas as they are being targeted by shoplifters and pickpockets.

THE Government has been urged to reassess its jobs strategy after the unemployment rate rose to 14.4%.

The Government was urged to reassess its jobs strategy after the unemployment rate rose to 14.4%.

The Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) has called for urgent action to address Government-influenced costs.

The latest ISME Quarterly Bank Watch Survey shows that 58% of companies who made an application to their banks in the last three months were refused credit.

In response to the latest Live Register figures published today, ISME has called on the Government to outline its strategy to tackle "stubborn unemployment".

Business chiefs have predicted the cost of living will fall after the rate of inflation remained steady for the last three months.

Retail sales increased slightly in the year to June, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) today.

The boss of Superquinn has resigned and lashed out at banks for calling in receivers and leaving debt-hit suppliers high and dry.

In the wake of the Musgrave Group’s purchase of Superquinn today – The Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII), the Ibec group that represents the food industry, questioned whether suppliers owed up to €100m by Superquinn will be paid in full for goods provided.

Consumers are still reluctant to spend their money, according to new figures showing the volume of retail sales down by 2.1% in the year to May.

The number of people signing on is continuing to climb, with 457,948 people on the Live Register in June.

VIOLENT and neglectful partners are to face stricter rules in laws to be brought in by the Government.

ISME has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Justice to publish a new bill that aims to reduce the term of bankruptcy from 12 years to five years.

UP to two thirds of companies have been victims of business scams in the last 12 months, adding further to their struggle for survival, a survey has found.

The number of people in long-term unemployment increased by almost 45% over the last year.

THE cost of crime to Irish business hit €1.48 billion in 2010 — up 10% on 2009.

The latest rise in unemployment proves the Government’s policy of cuts is not working, union leaders have warned.

The number of people signing on the dole has increased further, taking the unemployment rate to 14.8%.

The Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) called on Minister for Small Businesses John Perry to implement a ‘small business first’ policy at a meeting today.

Dublin: Local authority charges, energy, rents and transport costs need to be reviewed to boost job creation, according to the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association.

The Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) today described the Programme for Government agreed by the new administration as a "mixed bag" but said it represented a starting point in introducing measures to assist the enterprise sector.

New figures have revealed that there are 442,599 people on the Live Register.

The Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association has expressed concern at the sharp rise in inflation in December, up to 1.3% from 0.6% in the previous month.

ISME has said the sudden decision of DFDS Seaways to close two key ferry routes out of Dublin by the end of this month has sent shockwaves through the transport sector.

Business groups today called for a renewed focus on job creation and retention against a backdrop of live register and redundancy figures showing a total of over 58,000 redundancies in 2010.

Dublin: ISME, the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, has made a final call for a national effort to “buy Irish to save Irish jobs”, outlining that thousands of jobs in the retail and manufacturing sector are dependent on consumers buying Irish-produced quality products.

Results of a new survey show that there has been a reduction in the number of business approaching their banks for credit.

THE Central Bank has expressed serious concern at the serious lack of reform it has found in the pay and incentive structures used to reward senior employees in the country’s banks.

THE Central Bank has expressed serious concern at the lack of progress within the Irish banks concerning risk management.

The Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association has called for the abolition of the Registered Employment Agreements (REA) and Joint Labour Committees (JLC), in response to the proposed reduction in the national minimum wage.

THE scourge of emigration was blamed yesterday for the biggest fall in the number of people on the dole in two years.