Pipeline of ambitious entrepreneurs will fuel our economic recovery – Harris

Fine Gael Wicklow TD and member of the Oireachtas Finance Committee, Simon Harris, has today (Tuesday) welcomed the publication of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Report for Ireland for 2013, saying that its findings show that a pipeline of ambitious entrepreneurs will help to fuel our economic recovery.

“Entrepreneurs are playing a crucial role in our economic recovery. Irish start-up businesses account for about two thirds of all new jobs being created, so it is very encouraging to see that tens of thousands of people are planning to start their own business in the next three years.

“I am delighted that there has been such a shift in how we think about the economy; young people are now aiming to be employers rather than just employees. Many of the 32,000 people who started their own businesses last year will go on to create jobs and become important employers in their village, town or city.

“We have moved away from the old, failed economic model promoted by Fianna Fáil, which was based on banking, construction and debt, to a sustainable model based on enterprise and innovation. The Minister for Jobs, Richard Bruton TD, has introduced a range of initiatives to make it easier to start your own business and make a success of it.

“The competition to find Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur, launched by Minister Bruton last month, will help to stimulate interest and entrepreneurial activity in every county across the country. Furthermore, the roll out of Local Enterprise Offices will mean that anyone who wants to start their own business will be able to go to the LEO in their county to access all of the support and information they need.

“It is particularly encouraging that early stage Irish entrepreneurs have a much stronger focus on exporting than their EU counterparts. It is vital that growing Irish businesses have the ambition and drive to expand their businesses overseas. The Government recognises this fact and that’s why we have increased the number of supports to companies seeking to trade internationally.

“This GEM Report contains a lot of very encouraging findings and it bodes well for our capacity to continue to grow our economy with a keen focus on enterprise and innovation.”

ENDS