ISME calls for next government to appoint dedicated SME minister [Video]

The Irish SME Association (ISME) has said the election of Donald Trump as US President means the policies adopted by the next government will be more consequential to businesses and workers.

The group would like to see the appointment of a junior minister with sole responsibility for the small and medium-sized enterprise sector due to the high number of SMEs in Ireland.

SMEs are defined as companies with annual turnover of less than €50m and fewer than 250 staff. There are now 272,500 SMEs in Ireland accounting for 52% of the workforce with close to 1.2m staff.

More generally, ISME is asking all political parties to promote the interests of SMEs, and the body would like to see the next government formally engage with employers via the Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF).

ISME also wants to see action on the housing and cost-of-livingcrises through the increase in supply of accommodation and measures to tackle consumer costs rather than government …