Ireland's Competitiveness Challenge 2025

The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) is pleased to publish Ireland’s Competitiveness Challenge 2025 report.

This year, the Council has brought forward the publication of the Challenge report, with a view to providing an important input into the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, which is due to be published over the coming weeks. The high-level details from the Challenge report were presented on 7th July to the Competitiveness Summit of Minsters.

The Challenge 2025 report sets out a range of key challenges facing Ireland’s economy, particularly over the medium to long-term. The Council places a clear emphasis on addressing those challenges that come within domestic control (in a sequenced and strategic way). The key challenges identified include addressing the high and rising cost of doing business – particularly those costs where Government has a role to play – in addition to prioritising investment in competitiveness and productivity-enhancing reforms, taking immediate action to address infrastructural deficits, and preparing the workforce of the future by fostering a stronger culture of continuous learning.

The Ireland’s Competitiveness Challenge 2025 report makes 19 targeted and actionable recommendations to Government across broad medium and long-term strategic challenges, that are aimed at enhancing Ireland’s competitiveness and productivity performance. These strategic challenges are: 

• Exercise restraint in fiscal policy by adhering to the spending rule and prioritising investment in competitiveness and productivity-enhancing reforms
• Continue to utilise the European Union strategies which emphasise competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy
• Address issues relating to the cost of doing business, which remains a longstanding challenge to Ireland’s business environment
• Take immediate action towards addressing infrastructural deficits
• Prepare the workforce of the future by fostering a stronger culture of continuous learning
• Invest in digitalisation and advanced technologies to improve productivity, particularly within domestic enterprises.

The full report and the press release can be accessed below.