Latest news with #AmárachResearch
Irish Independent
05-08-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Nine out of 10 small businesses ‘have embraced AI in some form', says survey
The study of 357 small firms, conducted by Amárach Research, says the most common applications of AI are automating simple tasks (66pc) and data analytics (44pc). Adoption is high in professional services and finance, where firms report a growth in enthusiasm for AI's potential to improve accuracy, speed up processes and, most importantly, cut costs. However, the report reveals that the adoption of AI remains largely surface level, with the majority of small businesses using AI for basic functions such as content generation and reporting rather than innovation, product development or key decision making. The main barriers to a deeper sense of AI integration, according to the respondents in the report, are a lack of expertise, time constraints, and the absence of a concise business strategy. SFA director David Broderick said: 'AI is the defining technology of our time, and it will fundamentally shift how business is done. 'While the survey shows small businesses are interested and curious about it, AI adoption remains shallow among small firms as it is mostly confined to content generation and simple data analysis, rather than innovation, product development or decision-making. 'Therefore, many businesses have not yet explored its full potential.' The SFA is calling on the Government to unlock the National Trading Fund (NTF) to support upskilling in digital and AI capability. Mr Broderick also urged enhancements to the Grow Digital Voucher scheme and R&D tax credit access to encourage more firms to venture into the more advanced AI functions. Three-quarters of the respondents reported having either implemented or having a plan to implement AI further, apart from the retail sector which produced the highest number of firms that show no interest in any additional use of AI. As AI continues to change the global economical landscape, the SFA warns that Ireland's small business sector must not be left behind, and must work in conjunction with the Government and training bodies.
RTÉ News
31-07-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
AI and cybersecurity a priority in health sector
A survey of companies in the medtech, pharma and digital health sectors has found that AI and cybersecurity are among the top priorities of businesses. The study was conducted by Amárach Research on behalf of business group Ibec. It found that 65% of respondents identified AI as their greatest area of focus, while 82% of respondents indicated that they planned to invest in the digitalisation of healthcare. "Most respondents identified the digitalisation of healthcare as very important in our research, this spans areas such as adding connectivity to devices, digital therapeutics and beyond," said Kieran Daly, Ibec Digital Health Working Group Chair, and General Manager HealthBeacon. "That's why it's unsurprising that cybersecurity was in the top three focus areas identified by 61% of leaders," Mr Daly said. Ciara Finlay, Ibec, Senior Executive said that digital health is estimated to grow to €426 billion by 2027, and as many as 87% of leaders said that government strategy was very important or important. "That is why the National Life Science Strategy for Ireland announced by Government has huge potential to help Ireland take a significant share of this growing market," Ms Finlay said. "However, if we do not have sufficient cross-industry input, alongside key opinion leaders, then we will lose out to competitors like France and the UK which have already made digital health a priority," she added. Toma Pervan, Executive, Irish Medtech said more than half of those surveyed identified the digital health business model as a priority. "Additionally, more than half (57%) noted that strategy development was a key leadership skills as we build for the future, and the majority (82%) identified strategy deployment as a key skill," Mr Pervan said. More than 200 companies and organisations were contacted between June 2024 and January 2025 by Ibec Digital Health, with 23 interviews completed by Amárach as part of the research.
Irish Examiner
08-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
'Dreading next winter's bills': Half of families in Barnardos survey cut back or go without essentials
Almost half of families in Ireland go without or at least cut back on basic essentials including food and electricity, new figures in the Barnardos Cost of Living 2025 survey claim. Parents are borrowing money to buy food, cancelling medical insurance, and already 'dreading' next winter's heating bills, it said. Only 27% of parents did not need to cut back or go without any items listed in the survey, compared to 37% in 2022. Heating was cut back, or gone without, by one in five families, while low incomes forced almost one third of parents into arrears on energy bills, it said. The pressures are such that 40% of parents borrowed money at least once in the last year to buy essentials. Some 40% of parents skipped meals or reduced portion sizes so their children would have enough to eat. Another 28% felt at some point they did not have enough food for their children, and 12% used a foodbank. The data on rent shows that, in 2022, just 2% of parents faced serious problems paying the rent. This is now at 7%. Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly called for targeted permanent supports instead of once-off cost-of-living measures. Picture: Patrick Bolger One woman said: 'It has made me feel guilty and useless as a mother as I am struggling to give my children what they need… It's not enough. My children's mental health is also suffering.' Another parent explained: 'My in-laws buy us fuel each week, we couldn't afford it otherwise. I never have money in my purse or account. We are worse off than before.' Another said: 'There's not much left for any pleasures in life. It's grim and not getting any better.' One parent said they are 'dreading next winter's bills'. After-school activities were cut by other parents surveyed. The survey of 1,000 parents or guardians was carried out in May by Amárach Research. Some 52% of those surveyed cut back or went without social activities, while 51% cut back or went without clothing and medical appointments. Some 78% of parents said these problems had a negative impact on their children, with 19% saying this is significant. Providing children with daily essentials is sometimes or always a worry for 70%. Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly said: Parents on the lowest incomes are really struggling, as well as those just outside the threshold for welfare supports. The organisation has been conducting this survey for four years. Ms Connolly said that, in that period, 'things have remained static, despite repeated once-off government cost-of-living measures". She called for targeted permanent supports instead. She added: At an absolute minimum, every child in Ireland should live in homes with adequate heating and electricity, sufficient nutritious food and appropriate clothing, as well as the opportunity to engage in sporting and cultural activities. Barnardos called for changes in the fuel allowance and for child support payments to increase in line with inflation. This would mean an increase for under-12s by €6 weekly and for over-12s by €15 weekly in Budget 2026. It argued that income disregard — where some income types are not included in means-testing — for one-parent family payments should be increased. All financially vulnerable families using prepaid meters should be placed on the lowest tariffs, it said.
Irish Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Barnardos study shows impact of cost of living: ‘Dreading next winter's bills'
Almost 20 per cent of families have cut back on, or gone without, heating in the past six months, research from Barnardos into the impact of the rising cost of living shows. The data also show that two in five are going without other essentials , including food and medical appointments, already this year. The survey from the children's charity also suggests one-third of parents went into arrears on energy bills, with 40 per cent of parents skipping meals or reducing portion size so their children would have enough. A further 28 per cent said at times from January to June, they didn't have enough food to feed their children, with 12 per cent using a food bank. READ MORE Since 2021, Barnardos has been monitoring the effect of cost-of-living increases and detailing the number of families cutting back, recording the impact it has on their general quality of life and stress levels. [ The Irish Times view on tackling child poverty: If not now, when? Opens in new window ] It commissioned Amárach Research to carry out a nationally representative survey with 1,000 parents or guardians with children aged under 18 in their care in May The study also showed that 52 per cent of parents reduced or went without social activities, while 41 per cent either cut back on buying clothing or did without. 'There's not much left for any pleasures in life. It's grim and not getting any better,' one parent told researchers. '[It ] just keeps getting worse and worse. Dreading next winter's bills,' another is quoted as saying. A further 40 per cent said they had borrowed money at least once over the past 12 months to provide their children with essentials. Only 27 per cent said they did not need to cut back or go without essential items. 'The statistics in this report show that parents and children across the country are still going without or having to cut back on basic essentials, reflecting the experience across our services,' said Barnardos chief executive Suzanne Connolly. 'Parents on the lowest incomes are really struggling, as well as those just outside the threshold for welfare supports.' She said that since the charity first started reporting on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis four years ago, 'things have remained static, despite repeated once-off Government cost of living measures'. 'She added: There must be targeted permanent supports introduced, otherwise more children will go without essentials next year.' Her intervention comes after a string of senior Government Ministers have signalled that one-off supports to tackle the impact of inflation will not be seen in Budget 2025. Meanwhile, Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe are said to have made clear to colleagues that they will object to increases in current spending that outstrip economic growth. Barnardos is advocating for some specific policy changes, including increased child support payments in line with inflation, an increased income disregard for means-tested payments, and changes to tariffs for vulnerable families on prepaid energy meters.
Irish Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Advertising industry optimistic despite ‘cautious' outlook for client spend
Irish advertising, marketing and communications agencies expect client spending to stagnate or even shrink this year amid heightened economic uncertainty, despite reporting stable or growing revenues in the early part of the year. An Amárach Research survey of the industry, commissioned by the Institute of Advertising Practitioners Ireland (Iapi), points to an ambivalent mood among agencies. While two-thirds of the 36 agency chief executives surveyed reported that their clients have increased or at least maintained spending levels so far this year, a large 81 per cent majority expect spending across the wider industry to remain flat or even fall for the full year. This is a 'clear sign of caution', Iapi, the advertising and marketing industry trade body, said in its first Pathfinder Pulse Survey report on Thursday. READ MORE The survey results suggest a degree of disconnect between optimism at the agency level and more cautious sentiment across the wider industry, the trade body said. Marketing and advertising budgets are often the first casualties during times of economic stress, meaning confidence levels within the industry are sometimes seen as a bellwether for the wider economy. Siobhán Masterson, chief executive of Iapi, said the survey results are an 'early barometer' for business activity. 'Agency workloads and budgets respond quickly to economic shifts,' she said. 'Pathfinder captures how confidence and caution are evolving across the economy. With Irish exports facing heightened global pressure, including €17.1 billion in exports now facing potential elevated US tariffs, these findings provide real-time evidence of the impact on the services sector.' Economic uncertainty and market conditions were the top concerns for agencies across the different sectors in the Pathfinder survey, with 36 per cent citing the macro environment as the biggest challenge this year. Client procurement and budgets were second, with talent recruitment and retention also key concerns for agencies in 2025. Agencies view expanding their existing services as the biggest potential driver of growth this year, as well as the adoption of new technologies such as artificial intelligence. The Pathfinder report will be published on a quarterly basis as 'a high-frequency indicator of business confidence', Iapi said. The publication of the inaugural report coincides with Iapi's annual leaders' summit in Dublin on Thursday. Speakers, including An Post chief executive David McRedmond and Element Films co-founder Andrew Lowe, will address the conference along with executives from Irish Distillers and Musgraves among others.
