Minister Alan Dillon TD
Minister of State for Employment, Small Business and Retail
Ireland’s entrepreneurs and small businesses continue to power a dynamic and innovative economy.
Their resilience, creativity and ambition have driven record employment and positioned Ireland as one of Europe’s most competitive places to start and grow a business.
Supported by Enterprise Ireland and our Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), enterprise remains strong in every county, reaffirming our reputation as a nation where ideas flourish and businesses thrive.
SMEs and entrepreneurs are central to this success, driving jobs, sustaining families and anchoring communities. Strong results from Enterprise Ireland and the LEO network highlight the adaptability of Irish businesses and the strength of our enterprise environment. Ireland’s labour market has reached record levels, with more than 2.8 million people now in work, underscoring the productivity and confidence of the small business sector.
Investing in Ireland’s enterprise and innovation ecosystem
Last month, Ministers Peter Burke, Niamh Smyth and I published the Sectoral Capital Plan 2026–2030, committing €4.7 billion to strengthening enterprise and employment nationwide. This is the largest ever investment in Ireland’s enterprise and innovation ecosystem.
More than €1 billion is dedicated to supporting indigenous SMEs through improved access to finance, expanded innovation supports and enhanced regional enterprise infrastructure. These efforts complement the Government’s ambition to create 300,000 additional jobs by 2030, as set out in the National Competitiveness and Productivity Action Plan. Enterprise Ireland’s new strategy reinforces this direction by targeting employment growth to 275,000 jobs among supported companies, while over €250 million will be invested in the LEO programme over the next five years.
Supporting entrepreneurship remains a core priority. The establishment of Start Up Ireland, part of the Government’s Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, will streamline supports for early-stage founders and integrate pathways for scaling businesses. We’re simplifying access to Government supports through the National Enterprise Hub, an access point for more than 250 schemes across 32 Departments and State Agencies. LEOs continue to deliver vital programmes such as Start Your Own Business, Food Academy, management development and mentoring, and provide entrepreneurs with practical, localised guidance.
Ensuring SMEs can secure the finance they need is critical, particularly for microenterprises facing rising costs. That’s why Microfinance Ireland’s maximum loan threshold was recently increased from €25,000 to €50,000. This has led to strong demand, with applications almost doubling and average loan sizes rising by 50%. To ensure MFI can meet this need, an additional €12.5 million has been allocated to reinforce its lending capacity.
SMEs and entrepreneurs fuel innovation, strengthen communities and drive national prosperity.
Supporting SMEs
Since becoming Minister of State, supporting small businesses has been a key focus. We established a dedicated Small Business Unit within my Department to ensure SME needs are fully considered across Government. We also created the Cost of Business Forum, which will report later this year with recommendations to alleviate the cost pressures SMEs continue to highlight. Through the Programme for Government, we remain committed to applying the SME Test to ensure that new measures take account of their impact on small businesses.
Tourism SMEs — vital employers, especially in rural communities — benefit from strong targeted supports. Fáilte Ireland provides business, sustainability and skills initiatives that help operators manage cost pressures, improve competitiveness and sustain employment.
Government supports continue to evolve to reflect real-world challenges. Initiatives such as the Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme, the expanded R&D tax credit and targeted regional enterprise plans are helping firms to innovate, adapt and expand. Budget 2026 advances this approach, introducing measures focused on job creation, competitiveness and long-term growth.
SMEs and entrepreneurs fuel innovation, strengthen communities and drive national prosperity. Our task is clear: to back them, remove barriers and provide the conditions they need to thrive. With sustained investment and targeted supports, we can ensure that small businesses in every region continue to grow and shape Ireland’s future success.
