A survey from Deloitte, a company participating in Ireland's Best Managed Enterprises program, two-thirds deploy AI, and a third considers rising talent and costs as a key concern.
According to a new study from Deloitte and UCD's Michael Smurfitt Graduate School of Business, nearly two-thirds of top Irish companies (62%) employ AI technology to support their businesses, but that figure has risen to 94pc for the telecoms, media and the “technology drive sector.”
Employee support and internal productivity (28%), operational efficiency and automation (22%), sales/marketing and customer engagement (15pc) were cited as top use cases for AI, but 55% of companies surveyed state that improving operational processes is a key innovation priority.
Other findings include that rising business costs remained a key concern (33pc), but nearly a third said talent acquisition and retention is important as 28% of companies said it was the biggest barrier to growth.
Current geopolitical and regulatory challenges also emerged as important barriers to respondent growth and priority areas. One company (25%) said it was “examining policy changes and transaction dynamics.”
Almost two-thirds of those surveyed said new product and service development will play a key role in their growth plans over the next five years, with roughly 55% expected to grow their business through mergers and acquisitions (M&As), rising to 76% of high-tech and media companies.
International expansion and increasing number of personnel were cited by 52% of companies, respectively, and rose to 71% of high-tech companies.
The findings come from a survey of 115 Indigenous private companies, participants in Deloitte's Ireland's Best Managed Enterprises Program, whose winners will be announced on September 25th. The programme features around 129 companies in the sector, from retail and hospitality to manufacturing and construction, with sales of 15 billion euros and staff totaling 45,000 people.
“Innovation is an important theme. Launching new products and services in all industries is the best growth strategy for the next five years,” said Brian Murphy, Deloitte Lead Partner of Ireland's Best Managed Company Awards Program.
“These companies are not only talking, but walking, but 62pcs are already leveraging the power of AI to increase productivity.
“This survey of Ireland's best managed companies will send a clear message. We need to advocate for our country's businesses, promote growth and support our scaling journey, and become the next wave of Ireland's great success stories,” Murphy reflects calls from other supporters of other Indigenous companies ahead of Budget 2026, including Scale Eliund and IVCA.
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