The National Enterprise Network (NEN) joined forces with Enterprise Northern Ireland to announce the results of their latest collaboration – the Business Barometer 2024.
Alex Till, NEN chair, and Carol Daniels, NEN Operations Director, joined Enterprise Northern Ireland recently for the launch of their Barometer results at the Titanic Hotel in Belfast. It followed the release of NEN’s Barometer results, with both surveys demonstrating a loss in business confidence and concerns over rising prices and wages.
Speaking at the ENI Barometer launch, NEN chair Alex Till said: “Over the past three years, our collaboration with Enterprise Northern Ireland has been a cornerstone of our shared commitment to strengthening the enterprise agency support network across Northern Ireland and England. Together, we’ve worked tirelessly to ensure that enterprise support meets the needs of startups, micro, and small businesses, recognising their vital role in driving local economies.
“We look forward to solidifying our continued partnership and are planning an early-2025 joint campaign visit to Westminster, ensuring our voices remain united in advocating for effective enterprise support.”
The two organisations have worked in partnership for several years on key issues affecting micro, small and medium sized enterprises, including a joint lobby to Westminster in 2022, the
exchange of insights and best practices highlighted in the NEN ‘Adding Value’ Report and ‘Manifesto for Change,’ and the collaborative approach to the NEN/ENI Business Barometer.
The previous week’s NEN conference was a testament to this collaboration, with Enterprise NI joining representatives from networks across Europe to share best practices and discuss future initiatives at the event held in Birmingham. The event had included a presentation on eConX – a cutting-edge digital platform designed specifically for Northern Ireland’s entrepreneurs.
You can find out more about the survey results from the NEN 2024 Business Barometer here : (link to: https://nationalenterprisenetwork.org/small-businesses-cry-for-help-as-triple-whammy-of-wage-increases-export-challenges-and-lack-of-support-stalls-growth/)
ENI’s barometer told a similar story, with businesses stating they foresaw significant challenges ahead including the cost of doing business, hard-to-fill vacancies, skills gaps, and slow adoption of new technologies. The full results are available here: https://enterpriseni.com/the-voice-of-business/ni-enterprise-barometer/