Cyber security and cyber insurance
July 7, 2017
Growth stagnates in Q2
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For the third year in succession the Government will increase the National Minimum Wage (NMW) – from 1st January 2018 by 30c to €9.55. The increase is one of the recommendations from the Low Pay Commission.
Hardware Association Ireland CEO Annemarie Harte commented ‘Again, this will hit SMEs hardest, the backbone of our economy, a third consecutive uncontrollable increase in costs. It also has a knock-on effect of other employees looking for wage increases and of course treathens job creation’.
‘With the uncertainties of Brexit and consumer spending slowing in the second quarter of this year, this wage hike comes at a time when small businesses like our hardware stores, builders merchants and suppliers need to be preparing for the impacts of the unknown; instead they will have the absolute certainty of an increase in costs, amounting to a hike of 10.4% since 2015’ she said.
Hardware Association Ireland has campaigned to resist any further increases in the NMW.
