Small businesses are set to create fewer jobs this year than any other year since records began, new survey evidence suggests.
The Small Firms' Association (SFA) published its national employment survey yesterday, showing that only 7,787 jobs will be created by the sector this year, far lower than the 50,243 jobs created last year.
Launching the report yesterday, SFA director Patricia Callan said businesses were turning to better use of information technology in an effort to avoid hiring more staff. But she added that high inflation and high labour costs were also hurting the ability of Irish business to create jobs.
