Report urges 'relentless efforts' to make Ireland more competitive
Ireland needs "relentless efforts" to make us more competitive, according to a new report.
The National Competitiveness Council has issued the warning, saying that the country needs to be mindful of the impact of the Brexit vote.
The report, entitled Ireland’s Competitiveness Scorecard 2016 states that we need to invest in infrastructure and to grow our talent and skills pools to become more attractive for international companies to do business here.
Chairman of the Council, Professor Peter Clinch emphasised at the launch of the report that sustainable economic growth and improved living standards are the primary goal of national competitiveness.
"Improving our national competitiveness will need an increased emphasis on policies to support fiscal sustainability, incomes, regional and urban development along with an emphasis on good planning and addressing the challenge of meeting our climate policy commitments," he said.
Linda Barry, acting director of the Small Firms Association, agreed, saying: "It notes the improvements and the positives over the last few years, but really it signals that the outlook for Ireland's competitiveness is precarious," said
"Ireland remains a high-cost location, and what the Competitiveness Council is saying is that this is no time for complacency in the context of the Brexit vote, we need, [as] they say, 'a relentless focus' on improving competitiveness."
