A survey by the Small Firms Association has found that confidence among its members picked up in the third quarter of this year.
While 50% of companies in the SFA's autumn business survey described the business environment as 'poor' or 'very poor', this was down nine points from the previous survey three months earlier.
The number of firms rating business conditions 'good' or 'very good' rose from 13% in the second quarter to 19%. The survey, which covered 636 companies, found that services and manufacturing companies were generally more positive than firms in the distribution business.
But the SFA said access to credit remained an issue, with 21% of firms saying that the cost of working capital had increased.
'Sentiment levels for the current business environment have improved in this quarter and markedly so when compared to this time last year,' said SFA director Avine McNally. But she added that confidence was still weak, and would remain so until there was more clarity and certainty from the Government on its plans for the economy and the Budget.
