Business Confidence Stabilising

Dear Chamber Member,

 

I hope you, your families and colleagues are keeping safe and well, and that you have enjoyed the freedom to move within our beautiful county.

 

Our Economic Trends for Q1 2021 were released this week and there has been an encouraging confidence among our business community, with optimism for a busier business environment ahead in quarter 2. Thank you to all of you who participated in this survey, as these results have been well publicised in the media and are an important litmus test for business sentiment. In addition to measuring the core business operations, this most recent survey also reports on the advocacy priorities for the Cork region and action areas under the UN Sustainable Development Goals.The business insights can be viewed online <HERE>.

 

Warm congratulations to UCC for ranking 8th in the world by the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. Over 1,000 universities from 98 countries were assessed on their progress towards the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, giving UCC the opportunity to display a clear leadership position. The announcement is a strong build on the positive momentum being driven by so many stakeholders across the region.

 

Following the success of the 2020 Sustainable Cork Programme Webinar Series, we are delighted to kick off the 2021 series next week where we will explore the issue of Youth Employment. This talk will address the issues around social inclusion with a specific focus on youth unemployment. We will shine a light on how we in the business community can engage with organisations to address the growing trends here, for the betterment of our communities. More on this and our other events HERE.

 

Next week, we will begin announcing the finalists in our Cork Company of the Year Awards. It is a privilege to see such a high caliber of entrants progress through the thorough and comprehensive judging process. Thank you to our sponsors Vodafone for their continued support of these prestigious awards. Our media partner the Irish Examiner will publish the first set of finalists - the Emerging Category - next Wednesday. Good luck to all.

 

I welcome you to contact me directly on 087-9471858 or by e-mail HERE to discuss any issues affecting your business. We are here to represent you.

 

Warm regards,

Conor Healy

CEO