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Enterprise NI is calling on self-employed, micro, and small business owners across Newry, Mourne, and Down to complete the 2026 NI Enterprise Barometer and help shape the future of enterprise support in their local area.
Now in its eighth year, the Barometer is the largest annual survey of micro and small businesses in Northern Ireland. Conducted by Enterprise NI and supported by eConX, it captures vital information on the challenges and opportunities facing small businesses across the region.
Crucially, the Barometer does not simply provide a Northern Ireland-wide picture. The data is broken down by local area, helping Enterprise NI and its network of 26 Local Enterprise Agencies to understand the specific issues facing businesses in communities such as Newcastle, Downpatrick, and Newry.
This local-level insight is essential to developing an effective, tailored approach to enterprise support and informs government on local economic development policy. By taking part, businesses in Newry, Mourne, and Down can help ensure that the challenges they face, whether around costs, cashflow, staffing, access to finance, technology, or growth, are properly reflected in the evidence used to shape future support.
The survey takes less than ten minutes to complete and is open until 16 October. Every respondent will be entered into a draw to win a £250 voucher for a stay at a McKeever Hotel of their choice.
The 2026 Barometer findings will be announced at the inaugural NI Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Conference at the ICC Belfast on 20 November.
Michael McQuillan, Chief Executive of Enterprise NI, said: “The findings of the NI Enterprise Barometer provide the strongest, most unified voice for micro and small businesses in Northern Ireland. Every survey completed strengthens Enterprise NI’s ability to drive home the need for adequate funding for micro and small businesses and to directly influence the development of tailored strategies and support services that address their specific needs.
“Self-employed, micro, and small businesses collectively form the biggest part of our economy. That’s why, we are urging every single entrepreneur, self-employed start-up, and micro and small business owner across Northern Ireland to grab themselves a cup of coffee, complete this survey and ensure their views, needs and concerns are heard.
“The local breakdown of the Enterprise Barometer is so important. It gives us the evidence we need to understand what is happening on the ground in communities such as Newcastle, Downpatrick, and Newry, rather than relying solely on a Northern Ireland-wide picture.”
Barometer Economist Maureen O’Reilly added: “Now, more than ever, the concerns of small and micro business owners in Northern Ireland must be heard, particularly in relation to the dangerous mix of challenges that include the significant escalation in costs and managing cashflow, adapting to rapid changes through AI and new technologies and trying to get and keep staff.
“By completing the NI Enterprise Barometer, business owners will be providing us with strong and insightful data that enables Enterprise NI, and our network of 26 Local Enterprise Agencies, to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities they face, and the agility to deliver the on-the-ground supports they need.”
Further details on the survey, along with the findings from last year’s Barometer, can be found online at enterpriseni.com
