EFFECTIVE SME REPRESENTATION

1
EFFECTIVE SME REPRESENTATION

• Entrepreneurship and Employment
• In South Eastern Europe
• Kieran J Crowley, Ex-Chairman SFA

2
What is the score?

• The European Union has been good
• End to old problems unemployment, government
  debt, emigration
• Job creation has been amazing
• Inward investment has been high
• Average incomes have increased
• Living standards have improved

3
A Nation of Small Business

• 190,000 businesses
• Almost 98 employ under 50 people
• Almost 89 employ under 10 people
• 600,000 work in small business out a total
  workforce of 1,600,000
• The first job and the last job are likely in SMEs

4
New Challenges for Ireland

• Aim is sustainable development
• Tight labour market wage pressures
• Infrastructure, traffic, housing, healthcare
• State monopolies still to be unwound
• Interest exchange rates old tools for
  managing the economy now not available
• Rate of technological change
• Complex impact of all solutions

5
Employment

• Tradition of emigration high unemployment
• Workforce key to attracting inward investors
• Whoosh! - Emigrants return immigrants arrive
• Baby boom hits the workplace
• More women work outside the home
• Need for educated, competent, flexible workers
• Life-long learning, retraining reskilling
• Employers need family friendly policies
  flexibility

6
Markets

• Ireland is an island
• Old State policies of protectionism
• Importance of air, sea and road transport
• Need to rebalance historical trade links
• EU opportunity to access new markets
• New products open new markets

7
Partnership

• Central to economic social progress
• Series of agreements over 14 years
• Government, employers, unions, farmers social
  partners
• Agreement on pay wide Government action
• Huge benefits in stability predictability
• Increasing pressures from critics

8
SMEs in Partnership

• SFA is full Plenary member
• Forum to state the SME case
• Benefits of headline pay rates
• Close dialogue with government ministers
• Rapid access to senior state officials
• Preview and input to policy implementation
• Constructive dialogue with other partners

9
Role of the SFA

• To develop the knowledge, skills and competences
  of small medium firms
• To improve the structure, environment and
  regulations for SMEs
• To improve fiscal, financial regulatory
  regiemes for SMEs
• To develop a culture that supports and encourages
  risk-taking in small business

10
How the SFA Operates

• The Voice of Small Business
• Lobby on all issues affecting small firms
• High media profile in papers, tv and radio
• Seats on committees advisory bodies
• Publishes Magazine, newsletter, website.
• Guides on law, e-business, governance etc
• Major enterprise exhibition
• Telephone helpline to members

11
Irelands Challenges

• Slowdown
• The Euro v Sterling US
• Complacency
• Dissatisfaction
• Infrastructure speed
• Competitiveness

12
Some Irish Suggestions

• Form a strong SME representative body
• Make the SME case loudly and often
• Lobby for access to finance
• Make it easy to start an enterprise
• Make it easy to grow an enterprise
• Reward the risk taker
• Encourage the failures to try again
• Spend on training

13
Regulatory Reform

• Take a minimalist approach to EU regulation
• Aim at simple, clear regulation
• Make regulations easy to understand obey
• Make compliance uniformly enforced
• Review existing laws simplify or repeal
• Review forms, surveys, licences, permits etc
• Be sensitive to the ability of SMEs.