Under the new European Business Statistics (EBS) Regulation 2019/2152, the Sectors covered in Structural Business Statistics and Business Demography are now common as part of an EU-wide initiative to improve data processing and enhance coherency across a range of enterprise statistical products. This release provides data on NACE sectors B to S (excluding O and S94). To facilitate comparability with previous years, however, our previous release Business in Ireland 2021 – Summary Results provided data on NACE sectors B to N (excluding K), R92, R93, S95, and S96. Users should note that the results presented in this release include both market and non-market producing enterprises.
The 2021 Business Demography release includes the full population of NACE sectors set out in the Regulation. While the common sectors presented in both Business in Ireland and Business Demography are generally coherent, there may be slight differences in reported enterprises and persons employed. This is primarily due to the application of differing data processing and frame management, including legal form status, which has resulted in those slight differences.
Business in Ireland is a thematic publication released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This publication outlines the key statistics for the Irish business economy in 2021.
This release draws on data from the Structural Business Surveys, Business Demography, and Foreign Affiliate Statistics to analyse the number of enterprises, employment and performance across the five sectors of Industry, Construction, Distribution, Services, and Financial & Insurance.
This publication provides answers to many key policy questions, such as:
Structural Business Statistics provides details of individual surveys in the Structural Business Economy i.e. Census of Industrial Production, Annual Services Inquiry, and Building & Construction Inquiry. Data is also taken from Business Demography and Foreign Affiliate Statistics.
The data for Business Demography are based on the CSO Central Business Register. The Business Register is a register of all enterprises that are active in the State. There is no lower size limit, but for practical reasons, Business Demography data are based on enterprises that are registered with the Revenue Commissioners. New businesses are identified by Employer, Corporation Tax or Income Tax registrations.
The Census of Industrial Production (CIP) covers all enterprises which are wholly or principally involved in industrial production. This survey is carried out on an annual basis. Administrative data are used for some micro enterprises which are not surveyed as well as non-respondents across all case sizes.
The scope of the Census extends to NACE Rev. 2 sections B, C, D and E, namely:
Section B Mining & Quarrying
Section C Manufacturing
Section D Electricity, Gas, Steam & Air Conditioning Supply
Section E Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management & Remediation Activities
Business in Ireland 2021 - Summary Results
The Building and Construction Inquiry (BCI) was introduced in 2009 for reference year 2008 onwards and replaced the Census of Building and Construction (CBC). The CBC covered all private firms with 20 or more persons engaged whose main activity was building, construction or civil engineering (ie Section F of NACE Rev. 2). The BCI extended this coverage to also include a sample of private firms with less than 20 persons engaged. Administrative data are used for some micro enterprises which are not surveyed as well as non-respondents across all case sizes.
The Business Register is used as the sampling frame for the BCI.
Business in Ireland 2021 - Summary Results
The Annual Services Inquiry has been conducted as an annual survey of both distributive and non-distributive services since 1991. Results are published aggregated by the type of activity (NACE), region, size class, etc. All enterprises with one or more persons engaged are included. Administrative data are used for some micro enterprises which are not surveyed as well as non-respondents across all case sizes.
The survey covers all enterprises in the Retail, Wholesale, Transport & Storage, Accommodation & Food, Information & Communication, Real Estate, Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities, Administrative & Support Activities and Other Selected Services sectors (NACE Rev. 2 sectors G, H, I, J, L, M, N, P, Q, R, and S). Enterprises that traded for at least 6 months in the reference year are included in the survey.
Since 1995 the CSO’s Central Business Register provides the sampling frame, from which the Annual Services Inquiry sample is selected each year.
Business in Ireland 2021 - Summary Results
FATS refers to foreign-based affiliates that are controlled by an institutional unit resident in another country. Outward FATS is when the institutional unit resides in Ireland and has foreign-affiliates abroad while Inward FATS is when the institutional unit resides abroad and has foreign affiliates in Ireland. FATS extends to enterprises in NACE Rev. 2 sections B-S (excluding O and S94).
Outward Foreign Affiliates Statistics 2021
The population of active enterprises contains all enterprises that were active at some point during the reference year. An enterprise is considered to be active if it generates turnover, employs staff, or makes investments in that year.
Persons employed include employees, proprietors and family members.
Employees are persons who are paid a fixed wage or salary. Persons at work or temporarily absent because of illness, holidays, strike, etc. are included. Persons working on a labour-only subcontract basis are excluded with the exception of Irish Construction data.
Proprietors and family members; included here are those proprietors, partners, etc and members of their families who work regularly in the firm and are not paid a definite wage or salary.
Turnover comprises the totals invoiced by the enterprise during the reference period, and this corresponds to market sales of goods or services supplied to third parties. The sale of goods includes the goods produced by the enterprise as well as the merchandise purchased by a retailer or land and other property held for resale.
Turnover includes all duties and taxes on the goods or services invoiced by the unit with the exception of the value added type taxes (VAT). VAT are collected in stages by the enterprise and fully borne by the final purchaser.
Turnover also includes all other charges (transport, packaging, etc) passed on to the customer, even if these charges are listed separately in the invoice. Reduction in prices, rebates and discounts as well as the value of returned packing must be deducted.
Income classified as other operating income, financial income and extra-ordinary income in company accounts according to the 4th Accounting Directive (78/660/ EEC) and revenue from the use by others of enterprise assets yielding interest, royalties and dividends and other income according to IAS/IFRS 1 is excluded from turnover. Operating subsidies received from public authorities or the institutions of the European Union are also excluded.
For the statistics on activities of insurance companies, turnover is taken to equal ‘Gross premiums written’.
1 International Accounting Standard (IAS) and International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS).
Production value measures the amount actually produced by the unit, based on sales, including changes in stocks and the resale of goods and services.
Production value is defined as turnover or revenue from sales of goods and rendering of services, plus or minus the changes in stocks of finished products, work in progress and goods and services purchased for resale, minus the purchases of goods and services for resale (only for the goods and services sold during the reporting period and excluding the costs of storage and transport of the goods purchased for resale), plus capitalised production, plus other (operating and extra-ordinary) income (excluding subsidies). Income and expenditure classified as financial or as revenue in the form of interests and dividends in company accounts is excluded from production value. Included in purchases of goods and services for resale are the purchases of services purchased in order to be rendered to third parties in the same condition.
Capitalised production includes the own-account production of all goods that are retained by their producers as investment. The latter includes the production of fixed tangible assets (buildings, etc) as well as intangible assets (development of software, etc). Capitalised production is unsold production and is valued at production cost. Note that these capital goods are also to be included in investment.
Other (operating and extra-ordinary) income is a company accounting heading. The contents of this heading may vary between sectors and over time and as such cannot be defined precisely for statistical purposes.
For the statistics on activities of insurance companies, production value is defined as gross premiums earned, plus total portfolio investment income, plus other services produced, minus gross claims incurred, excluding claims management expenses, plus capital gains and provisions.
For the statistics on credit institutions, production value is defined as interest receivable and similar income, less interest payable and similar charges, plus commissions receivable, plus income from shares and other variable-yield securities, plus net profit or net loss on financial operations, plus other operating income.
| Table 1.1 Calculating production value using 2021 data for Industry | ||
| Variable | €m | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Total Turnover | 380,843 |
| 2 | Purchases - Goods for resale without further processing | 98,815 |
| 3 | Capital assets manufactured by enterprise for own use | 16,931 |
| 4 | Stock changes during year - Finished goods and work in progress | 4,521 |
| 5 | Stock changes during year - Goods for resale without further processing | -455 |
| Production value = (1 - 2 + 3 + 4 + 5)1 | 303,024 | |
| 1 Totals may differ due to rounding. | ||
Purchases of goods and services include the value of all goods and services purchased during the accounting period for resale or consumption in the production process, excluding capital goods the consumption of which is registered as consumption of fixed capital. The goods and services concerned may be either resold with or without further transformation, completely used up in the production process or retained as stock.
Included in these purchases are the materials that enter directly into the goods produced (raw materials, intermediary products, components), plus non-capitalised small tools and equipment. Also included are the value of ancillary materials (lubricants, water, packaging, maintenance and repair materials, office materials) as well as energy products. Included in this variable are the purchases of materials made for the production of capital goods by the unit.
Services paid for during the reference period are also included regardless of whether they are industrial or non-industrial. In this figure are payments for all work carried out by third parties on behalf of the unit including current repairs and maintenance, installation work and technical studies. Amounts paid for the installation of capital goods and the value of capitalised goods are excluded.
Also included are payments made for non-industrial services such as legal and accountancy fees, patents and licence fees (where they are not capitalised), insurance premiums, costs of meetings of shareholders and governing bodies, contributions to business and professional associations, postal, telephone, electronic communication, telegraph and fax charges, transport services for goods and personnel, advertising costs, commissions (where they are not included in wages and salaries), rents, bank charges (excluding interest payments) and all other business services provided by third parties. Included are services which are transformed and capitalised by the unit as capitalised production.
Expenditure classified as financial expenditure or as revenue in the form or interests and dividends is excluded from the total purchases of goods and services.
Purchases of goods and services are valued at the purchase price, ie the price the purchaser actually pays for the products, including any taxes less subsidies on the products bought excluding however value added type taxes.
All other taxes and duties on the products are therefore not deducted from the valuation of the purchases of goods and services. The treatment of taxes on production is not relevant in the valuation of these purchases.
Purchases for resale are purchases of goods for resale to third parties without further processing. It also includes purchases of services by "invoicing" service companies, ie those whose turnover is composed not only of agency fees charged on a service transaction (as in the case of estate agents) but also the actual amount involved in the service transaction, eg transport purchases by travel agents. The value of goods and services which are sold to third parties on a commission basis are excluded since these goods are neither bought nor sold by the agent receiving the commission.
When services for resale are referred to here, the services concerned are the output from service activities, rights to use predetermined services, or physical supports for services. Purchases of goods and services purchased for resale in the same condition as received are valued at the purchase price excluding deductible VAT and other deductible taxes linked directly to turnover. All other taxes and duties on the products are therefore not deducted from the valuation of the purchases of goods and services.
The treatment of taxes on production is not relevant in the valuation of these purchases.
GVA at factor cost is the gross income from operating activities after adjusting for operating subsidies and indirect taxes.
It can be calculated from turnover, plus capitalised production, plus other operating income (including operating subsidies), plus or minus the changes in stocks, minus the purchases of goods and services, minus other taxes on products which are linked to turnover but not deductible, minus the duties and taxes linked to production. The duties and taxes linked to production are compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind which are levied by general government, or by the Institutions of the European Union, in respect of the production and importation of goods and services, the employment of labour, the ownership or use of land, buildings or other assets used in production irrespective of the quantity or the value of goods and services produced or sold. Alternatively, it can be calculated from Gross Operating Surplus (GOS) by adding personnel costs.
Income and expenditure classified as financial in company accounts according to the 4th Accounting Directive (78/660/ EEC) is excluded from value added. Income and expenditure classified as interest income, dividend income, foreign exchange gain from foreign currency borrowings related to interest costs, gains on redemption and extinguishment of debt or finance costs according to Commission Regulation (EC) 1725/2003 are excluded from value added.
Value added at factor cost is calculated ‘gross’ as value adjustments (such as depreciation and impairment losses) are not subtracted.
For the statistics on insurance companies, value added at factor cost is defined as production value, minus gross value of reinsurance services received, minus commissions, minus other external expenditure on goods and services.
For the statistics on credit institutions, value added at factor cost is defined as production value less total purchases of goods and services.
| Table 1.2 Calculating value added at factor cost using 2021 data for Industry | ||
| Variable | €m | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Total Turnover | 380,843 |
| 2 | Total Purchases | 245,064 |
| 3 | Capital assets manufactured by enterprise for own use | 16,931 |
| 4 | Total Stock changes during year | 7,637 |
| 5 | Indirect taxes (excluding VAT) - Excise duty and other indirect taxes | 2,895 |
| 6 | Operating subsidies | 136 |
| Value added at factor cost = (1 - 2 + 3 + 4 - 5 + 6)1 | 157,588 | |
| 1 Totals may differ due to rounding. | ||
Personnel costs are defined as the total remuneration, in cash or in kind, payable by an employer to an employee (regular and temporary employees as well as home workers) in return for work done by the latter during the reference period.
Personnel costs also include taxes and employees' social security contributions retained by the unit as well as the employer's compulsory and voluntary social contributions. Personnel costs are made up of:
All remuneration paid during the reference period is included, regardless of whether it is paid on the basis of working time, output or piecework, and whether it is paid regularly or not. Included are all gratuities, workplace and performance bonuses, ex gratia payments, thirteenth month pay (and similar fixed bonuses), as well as taxes, social security contributions and other amounts owed by the employees and retained at source by the employers.
Also included are the social security costs for the employer. These include employer's social security contributions to schemes for retirement pensions, sickness, maternity, disability, unemployment, occupational accidents and diseases, family allowances as well as other schemes. These costs are included regardless of whether they are statutory, collectively agreed, contractual or voluntary in nature.
| Table 1.3 Calculating personnel costs using 2020 data for Industry | ||
| Variable | €m | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Personnel Costs - Wages and salaries | 13,756 |
| 2 | Personnel Costs - Other labour costs | 2,217 |
| Total personnel costs = (1 + 2)1 | 15,973 | |
| 1 Totals may differ due to rounding. | ||
Gross Operating Surplus is the surplus generated by operating activities after the labour factor input has been recompensed. It can be calculated from the value added at factor cost less the personnel costs. It is the balance available to the unit which allows it to recompense the providers of own funds and debt, to pay taxes and eventually to finance all or a part of its investment.
| Table 1.4 Calculating Gross Operating Surplus using 2020 data for Industry | ||
| Variable | €m | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Value added at factor cost (from Table 2.2) | 157,588 |
| 2 | Total personnel costs (from Table 2.3) | 15,973 |
| Gross Operating Surplus = (1 - 2)1 | 141,615 | |
| 1 Totals may differ due to rounding. | ||
NACE Rev. 2 is the statistical classification of economic activities. NACE is an acronym for ‘Nomenclature Généraile des Activités Économiques dans les Communautés Européenes’ (General Industrial Classification of Economic Activities within the European Communities).
The information presented in this report covers the Industry, Construction, Distributive Trade, and Services sectors. The following highlights the composition of these sectors in this report:
| Table 2.1 Composition of Sectors | ||
| Section | Sector | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Section B | Industry | Mining and quarrying |
| Section C | Industry | Manufacturing |
| Section D | Industry | Electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply |
| Section E | Industry | Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities |
| Section F | Construction | Construction |
| Section G | Distributive Trade | Section G Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles G45 Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles G46 Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles G47 Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles |
| Section H | Services | Transportation and storage |
| Section I | Services | Accommodation and food service activities |
| Section J | Services | Information and communication |
| Section K | Services | Financial and insurance activities |
| Section L | Services | Real estate activities |
| Section M | Services | Professional, scientific, and technical activities |
| Section N | Services | Administrative and support service activities |
| Section P | Services | Education |
| Section Q | Services | Human health and social work activities |
| Section R | Services | Arts, entertainment, and recreation |
| Section S | Services | Other service activities |
| Table 2.2 Employment size classes | |
| Size class | Description |
|---|---|
| Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) | Fewer than 250 persons employed |
| Micro | Fewer than 10 persons employed |
| Small | Between 10 and 49 persons employed |
| Medium | Between 50 and 249 persons employed |
| Large | More than 249 persons employed |
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