Summary

Summary

In the first significant economic business sentiment survey taken since the outset of war in Ukraine of 207 businesses employing 28,000 employees has found an alarming 88% being either concerned or extremely concerned with the effects of the crisis on their operations and profitability.

The biannual County Kildare Chamber Membership Pulse Survey also found concern with challenges arising from remote and flexible working as well as the possible impacts and effects of the current crisis situation in Ukraine with the high levels of uncertainty surrounding Ireland’s fiscal outlook for the coming year and the knock-on effects of the war currently being seen in fuel and energy costs as well as rising inflation also playing a part.

Again, related to the crisis in Ukraine the survey results also showed that specifically reducing costs are also a big challenge facing businesses with 23% of firms concerned about this with current rising inflation due to the ongoing as a result of the Russian invasion.

As a key commuter belt county as well as being one of the key business economies in the country with many multinationals and large SMEs in situ the survey found that 40% of businesses are worried about the provision of housing for their employees with 15% citing public transport as not being adequate enough to serve the population.

County Kildare Chamber is the largest business organisation in the mid-east region of Ireland representing an employer base of 400 businesses and over 38,000 employees across the county.

Kildare is the location of choice for existing & potential business enterprise. Our highly skilled workforce & the attractiveness of our region coupled with the quality of life we enjoy, our excellent infrastructure provision and connectivity ensures we are well placed to secure foreign direct investment.

County Kildare Chamber will continue to work closely with key government agencies and local and regional stakeholders, and the feedback from this survey will allow us to advocate effectively and on the issues which matter most to you.

The next survey will be completed in late Quarter 3 of this year. This survey will be circulated to our membership, government departments, public representatives, and our agency partners. It will assist the Chamber in formulating our policy submission for Q2 & Q3, particularly with our Prebudget submission and Kildare County Development Plan submission.

The survey will also help to strategically focus the ongoing work of the Chambers Policy Advisory Council.

If you have any queries regarding the survey or want to discuss a matter further, please contact sinead@countykildarechamber.ie

County Kildare Chamber, Sallins Road, Naas Town Centre, Naas, Co. Kildare, W91 KV4H