Northern Ireland’s enterprise progress threatened by Brexit uncertainty

12 November 2018

Northern Ireland’s enterprise progress threatened by Brexit uncertainty

• Proportion of early-stage entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland grows 75% in 15 years
• Meanwhile, established micro-businesses employ 20% of people, showing high rates of profitability and exporting
• Bad Brexit deal could “set the clock back” on enterprise, academics warn

Brexit’s risk to recent positive trends among Northern Ireland’s entrepreneurs and micro-firms has been spelt out in new research.

The two studies by the Enterprise Research Centre (ERC) and Queen’s Management School show that the number of people in Northern Ireland becoming entrepreneurs has risen significantly in recent years, while its micro-firms (those employing 1-9 people) are the most profitable in the UK and more likely to export than most other regions.