Irish SMEs

Ibec represents Irish business; home grown, multinational, big and small, spanning every sector of the economy. 70% of Ireland’s private workforce are employed by Ibec members and 90% of our members are SMEs.

Ibec has 37+ trade associations within Ibec covering every sector of the Irish economy. These include well-known brands such as the Small Firms Association, Property Industry Ireland, Irish MedTech Association, Biopharmchem Ireland, Financial Services Ireland, Retail Ireland, Food Drink Ireland and Technology Ireland.

Ibec is recognised as Ireland’s largest business representation organisation and the third largest national business representative in Europe. Scale matters because it provides Ibec with an effective voice, and a platform to call things out. We work with government and policy makers nationally and internationally, to shape business conditions and drive economic growth.

Ibec has six office around Ireland; Dublin, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Limerick and Waterford as well as an office in Brussels.

No other organisation has the entire business ecosystem and supply chain network under its roof. As a member of Ibec, you are connected to other companies in Ireland that understand your ambitions and your challenges.
Through our regular member working groups, committees, briefings, events, webinars and podcasts we help you stay informed and connected. If you want a taster to attend any of our member events, do let us know, as it’s a great way to get a sense of our organisation and our members.

Ibec and its sector associations work with government and policy makers at a national and international level to shape business conditions and drive economic growth for Irish business including indigenous enterprises and SMEs, spanning all sectors of the Irish economy.
  
A key part of this, which we have focused on in much of our work in recent years is reform of the environment to encourage small business and entrepreneurship. Although there have been some tax, regulatory and structural reforms aimed at small business and start-ups in recent years these have not gone far enough, in our view, to bridge the gap to having an indigenous sector on par with elsewhere in Europe

Check out Ibec’s campaign ‘Reboot and Imagine’, Ibec’s blueprint for a sustainable future for Ireland’s SMEs. It addresses the economic and business impact of COVID-19 as well as a plan for achieving a better Ireland by tackling the country’s acute and significant challenges, including Brexit. 

Ibec membership also allows you to join Ibec's trade associations where you can benefit from up-to-date industry research, expert briefings, networking and industry led training programmes that address the technical and non-technical skill needs of members.

Ibec provides both operational and strategic HR support to your business. This includes specialist advice on all aspects of human resources, occupational health & safety and employee relations and employment law and in the event you need it; representation in industrial relations disputes and negotiations locally and at third party.

Our members benefit from access to our Knowledge Centre for tailored advice and information as well as online resources and tools for general HR support. Check out our Members’ Employer Hub.

In addition, Ibec provides guidance and best practice on important workplace priorities including diversity & inclusion, wellbeing, remote working and employee flexibility. 

All our members can receive advice and support in navigating through all stages of the employment lifecycle including contracts of employment, workplace disputes, employment legislation, industrial relations and HR policy & procedures from our expert Employer Relations specialists,  located across six regions in Ireland. 

Ibec’s HR Management Guide is Ireland's leading source of online employment law information and tools. A members-only guide, it is designed to help HR professionals and managers deal with the day-to-day management of their employees, it includes over 1,000 pages covering every aspect of employment law. 

The guide is accessible to our members only and is continuously updated in line with changes to employment law in Ireland and every step is explained in easy to understand terms with practical ‘how to’ guides, time-saving customisable HR sample contracts and policies.   

Yes, we will. In 2019, our team of experts represented 1,013 employer cases at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and Labour Court as part of its third-party representation services in the past 12 months. 

In addition, our team of Solicitors in our legal unit provide specialist employment law advice in addition to engaging with key stakeholders in monitoring, reviewing and influencing the development of employment legislation nationally and at a European level. 

Check out our dedicated Employer Hub.

We support skills development through our Skillnet Projects and industry-led apprenticeship training programmes. We keep our members connected and up to date through our events, webinars, podcasts, briefings, research and insights.  Members also benefit from preferential rates from our accredited programmes and short courses run by Ibec’s Management Training unit.

Annual membership fees are based on the annualised payroll of your business and turnover. You can discuss this in confidence with a member of our team.  We can provide you with a membership quote for your business to join Ibec and highlight the relevant services and trade associations that will be of value to your organisation and colleagues. 

To get a quote, please submit a ‘Request A Quote’ form on this page.