Housing, labour shortage hinder SE

Capacity constraints and labour supply are the key challenges facing business growth in the South East, according to Ibec, the group that represents Irish business. There must be greater focus by the Government on enhancing quality of life issues such as housing and infrastructure which are driving labour shortages in the region, it said.

The call came as Ibec host- ed leading voices in regional business at Mount Juliet Hotel in Kilkenny as part of its Regional Insights Series.

Ibec’s Head of Regional Policy Helen Leahy said:

“Our vision for the South East is to realise its potential to become a globally competitive location. An inadequate supply of affordable housing is now the single largest impediment to attracting and retaining talented workers, without whom business investment and expansions are not possible.

“Labour shortages are a real concern for businesses in the region. People decide where to live and work based on quality of life and access to high quality services and amenities. Industry tends to follow talent, and in this regard, the region needs to have all the building blocks in place as the attraction and retention of world-class talent becomes increasingly competitive on a global level,” she said.

The Regional Insights Series, sponsored by ESB and OpenEir, heard from expert speakers including Ibec’s CEO, Danny McCoy, members of the Ibec Executive Director Team, and leading voices in businesses in the South-East to explore new

SETU’S plans for future learning

ways to drive regenerative growth in the region.

Amongst Ibec’s priorities for the South East are:

• Addressing housing and infrastructure challenges

• Adapting businesses to the new economic realities

• Enhancing capacity and skillsets to achieve sustainable development objectives

• Investment in people and skills

South East Technological University (SETU) is launching its rst strategic plan, setting out the university’s ve-year aim to become a leading global technological university driving the south east as a learning and innovation region. e plan, titled ‘Connecting for Impact’, sets out SETU’s ambitions over the coming years to establish itself as the anchor institution for the ongoing development of the South East – and no less so than in Kilkenny.

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Ifac, Ireland’s farming, food and agribusiness specialist firm, is delighted to return to the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards 2023 at this year’s National Ploughing Championships (Tuesday September 21 to Thursday 23) with the ifac Best Newcomer Award 2023, and for the judging of the Irish Agtech industry.

For the fourth year in a row, ifac is supporting Enterprise Ireland and the National Ploughing Association to recognise early-stage, Irish agtech businesses and entrepreneurs that are leading the way with their innovative products. Previous winners include:

• Marteye (2019) – an online trading platform used by marts and breeders in Ireland and the UK

• Strongbó (2020) – the automated collection and analysis of animal weight data through a bespoke hardware and software platform

• Moonsyst (2021) – a smart rumen monitoring system to accurately detect heats and monitor health

• Cotter Agritech (2022) – a hardware product to accurately handle, weigh and draft sheep and lambs along with a software product to reduce wormer use.

The winner of the ifac Best Newcomer

Award 2023 will receive 12 months of ifac advisory and accountancy services such as business structure and tax advisory, financial planning, growth strategy