Confluence Consulting study reveals Northern Ireland businesses want greater stability, delivery and clearer economic direction
A major new report published today by local strategic advisory firm Confluence Consulting has highlighted growing concern among Northern Ireland business leaders about policy uncertainty, infrastructure constraints and the pace of government delivery, while also pointing to a resilient business community that remains ready to invest and grow under the right conditions.
The Business of Government captures the views of more than 100 senior business leaders from across Northern Ireland’s economy, including CEOs, Managing Directors, founders and senior executives operating in sectors ranging from tourism and manufacturing to energy, technology, construction, finance and retail.
The findings show that businesses are not looking for “grand gestures” from government, but instead are prioritising stability, predictability and effective delivery.
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Among the report’s key findings were that more than four in five businesses said the current policy and decision-making environment constrained growth while 58% of firms said they had delayed investment in the past year because of political or policy uncertainty.
Of those surveyed, 77% identified greater policy stability as critical or very important to their future plans in Northern Ireland, with 70% said there is no clear long-term direction in policymaking at Stormont.
Planning or infrastructure delays were cited by 60% of respondents as having adversely affected their business in the past 12 months.
Meanwhile, just short of three quarters (74%) said they believed that the NI Executive routinely deprioritises economic growth over other policy concerns, while 9 in 10 rated the public sector’s understanding of business realities as “weak”.
However, the report also found that, despite ongoing economic and geopolitical uncertainty, many businesses remain cautiously optimistic about Northern Ireland’s long-term potential.
Commenting on the findings, Simon Hamilton, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Confluence Consulting, said:
“This report is intended to provide a constructive and evidence-based insight into how business leaders are experiencing the current political, policy and economic environment in Northern Ireland.
“The message coming through clearly from industry is not one of negativity or disengagement. Businesses remain ambitious about Northern Ireland’s future and committed to investing and growing here. However, they are also asking for a more stable, predictable and delivery-focused environment that gives them the confidence to plan ahead.
“What stands out most strongly is that business values consistency, clarity and follow-through. There is a clear appetite for stronger alignment between government and industry and for a sharper focus on implementation and long-term economic competitiveness.
“The findings also underline that many of the issues identified by business leaders, particularly around infrastructure, planning and policy certainty, are structural challenges which have developed over many years and will require sustained collaboration between government, industry and wider stakeholders to address.
“Northern Ireland has enormous economic strengths and opportunities. The purpose of this report is to contribute positively to the conversation about how we create the conditions for those strengths to be fully realised.”
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The report also sets out how political and policy risk is now firmly established as a boardroom issue for many companies, with almost half of respondents saying it is now a standing item or regularly discussed at senior leadership level.
It also highlights the increasing impact of practical infrastructure challenges, particularly wastewater capacity and planning delays, which many businesses now see as barriers to expansion and investment.
The full report, The Business of Government, can be downloaded at https://www.confluence-consulting.co.uk/the-business-of-government-survey-report/
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