Insights from SMEs around the world

This year’s research surveyed 2,300 small and medium-sized businesses across 13 countries: Canada, USA, Ireland, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The report presents the opinions of owners and senior decision-makers of SMEs across the manufacturing, construction, wholesale, transport, and services sectors.

The Global Business Monitor reports business sentiment on topics including confidence, sales expectations, the economy, access to finance and business challenges, including the causes of cash flow problems.

Download the Irish report  to discover where SMEs see their best opportunities and challenges for the coming year. Or download the international edition for insights into how Irish businesses compare with their global counterparts.

Download the report

The view from Ireland

Mark O’Rourke, Managing Director, reflects on the findings from Ireland

In the report, Mark shares insights on the Brexit challenges facing businesses across Ireland: “When asked for the top three threats to the global economy, over two-thirds (72%) of Irish SMEs cited Brexit, followed by US politics (42%) and declining international trade (19%).

“The significance Irish SMEs place on Brexit as a threat to the global economy is unsurprising as it will fundamentally change the way that they are able to interact with global markets, the expenses associated with trade, and the freedom to access goods and services."

Business challenges

SMEs around the world are struggling to access the cash they need to boost their growth, with one in three citing cash flow management as their greatest challenge. Late payment from slow paying customers was identified as one of the chief causes of cash flow problems by over two-fifths of SMEs.

Access to finance for SMEs

When it comes to small business finance, one in three of the surveyed businesses said SME access to finance is excellent/good. Overall, around a third of SMEs are currently using external finance for their business and cash flow planning. Meanwhile, one in five SMEs have been rejected for external finance.