Business and labour costs top SME concerns again

Business costs not moderating in line with cooling of inflation, ISME says

Group said the Government should focus on ‘structural cost competitiveness’ in the coming year

Business and labour costs top SME concerns again

Business costs and labour costs are the overwhelmingly dominating concerns for small and medium sized enterprises this year.

High costs including energy and rates top concerns for small and medium businesses, says ISME

78% of respondents citing business costs rank as the single biggest issue facing SMEs.

Business and labour costs top list of SME concerns

The cost of business remains the single biggest issue facing small and medium-sized enterprises, the latest ISME member survey has found. More than three-quarters of SMEs that responded to the survey cited business costs, including rent, commercial rates and other overheads, all of which have been subject to sustained and significant inflation in recent years, as a major challenge. ISME notes that despite easing inflation in some areas of the wi…