Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2020
3. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Taoiseach the forecasted level of trading revenue, wages, fixed costs including trading costs and fixed costs, excluding trading costs, for microenterprises of one to nine employees and small businesses of ten to 49 employees for 2020. [12329/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe exact information requested by the Deputy is not available.
Based on the CSO’s annual Business in Ireland report, there were 249,700 micro-enterprises (those that had 0 to 9 persons engaged) and 17,700 small enterprises (10 to 49 persons engaged) in Ireland in 2017. Micro-enterprises accounted for a total turnover of €123.9 billion in 2017 and small enterprises had turnover of €107.7 billion.
The Business Impact of COVID-19 Survey was introduced by the CSO to measure and report quickly on the key features of how the COVID-19 crisis has affected business in Ireland. Two waves of the survey have been published so far and the results for the third wave of the survey are being published this week.
The results published so far include some indicative estimates of the impact on turnover. The first wave of the survey found that more than 60% of micro-enterprises had seen turnover fall by more than 10% in quarter one, while 35.7% had turnover close to normal expectations. Only 3.1% of micro-enterprises replied that their turnover was above normal expectations in quarter one. When asked what they expected for quarter two, more than three quarters of micro-enterprises expected turnover in quarter two to be at least 10% lower than normal, while 20.2% expected turnover close to normal expectations, and 3.1% expected turnover in quarter two to be above normal expectations.
For small enterprises, the survey found that 55.9% had seen turnover fall by more than 10% in quarter one, while 31.3% had turnover at or close to normal expectations, and 12.8% of small enterprises replied that turnover in quarter one was above normal expectations. More than three quarters of small enterprises projected turnover to be 10% or more below normal expectations in quarter two, while 14.8% expected turnover to be close to normal expectations, and 9.1% expected quarter two turnover to be above normal expectations.
The first two waves of the survey did not ask questions about changes in wages or costs. The third wave, which is being published this week, includes a question on the change in personnel and non-personnel operating costs. The figures from the survey should be considered as indicative rather than definitive estimates, because of the sample size and design of the survey, and in particular the inability of some businesses to respond. Further waves of the survey are due to be collected in July and August, to monitor the impacts of restrictions being lifted.
