The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
A Small Firms Association (SFA) delegation has met with Minister for Business & Employment, Gerald Nash to set out their priorities. “The small business sector currently employs half the private sector workforce, some 700,000 people. Whilst an economic recovery is starting to take hold, many small businesses are just getting back on their feet, and their balance sheets remain challenged after after years of recession,” SFA chairman, AJ Noonan said. “In order to secure the recovery and set small businesses on a path to growth, it is essential that competitiveness issues are prioritised in Government,” he added. Irish labour costs are now 30.8% more than in the UK, 16% more than the EU average and 11th highest in Europe. “This is putting us at a distinct competitive disadvantage, and is a particular problem for SMEs in the services sector where the cost of employing an individual accounts for over 80% of location sensitive business costs ( costs which vary by …
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