Irish SME confidence slides as cost and geopolitical pressures grow: survey
Key takeaways
- Irish SME confidence slides as cost and geopolitical pressures grow: survey.
- The survey showed that 71% of SMEs are now less optimistic about the economic backdrop than six months ago, up from 54% in October 2025.
- The twice‑yearly survey, which covers SMEs including small accountancy firms, was first run in April 2025 and repeated in October 2025.
Irish SME confidence slides as cost and geopolitical pressures grow: survey. The survey found that 71% of SMEs feel less positive about the economic environment than they did six months earlier. Credit: Image Flow /Shutterstock.com. · The Accountant · Image Flow /Shutterstock.com. Ellichipuram Umesh Wed, May 27, 2026 at 6:13 PM GMT+7 2 min read Irish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are markedly more pessimistic about the economy, according to the latest SME Business Sentiment Survey from the Chartered Accountants Ireland and GRID Finance.
The survey showed that 71% of SMEs are now less optimistic about the economic backdrop than six months ago, up from 54% in October 2025.
The twice‑yearly survey, which covers SMEs including small accountancy firms, was first run in April 2025 and repeated in October 2025.