December saw the final issue of Dublin Chamber’s quarterly Business Outlook reports published for 2023. A year in which 1,000 respondents had their opinions and insights registered over a range of different topics from hybrid working to safety, and much more. Last quarter’s report focused on the future priorities and a host of issues affecting Dublin business and received coverage with the Chamber speaking on Morning Ireland and Newstalk’s Breakfast Briefing.

Additionally, the report's findings were available to read in the Irish Independent, the Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, and the Business Post. Below are some of these findings of the report, with the full analysis available to read here.

• Attracting / Retaining / Upskilling staff remains the top priority for Dublin businesses for the third consecutive year. Over three-in-five businesses (62%) highlighted the staffing concern as their leading priority.
• There has been a 24-percentage point increase in those reporting physical safety concerns as a top issue affecting Dublin since Q1 this year.
• Accounting for only 4% of businesses’ top priorities at the beginning of the year, the share of those reporting access to finance as a priority has increased drastically to approximately 16.5%. A fourfold increase despite the base figure of four percent being registered only nine months ago in Q1 2023.
• Almost half of Dublin businesses (46%) do not believe the proposed bus gates on the quays will adequately reduce private car usage.
• Almost one-in-five businesses (18%) expect a loss of profits in relation to the increase in minimum wage outlined in Budget 2024. This is a larger proportion of businesses with greater than fifty staff, as over one-in-four (26%) larger businesses believe a loss of profits to be the result of this increase.