Irish CEO confidence in future earnings drops to five-year low
The confidence of Irish chief executives (CEOs) in their company’s revenue prospects has dropped to a five-year low, according to a new survey released by PwC on the eve of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.Despite the strong performance of the Irish economy over the past year and the softer-than-expected impact of tariffs, PwC’s latest “Global CEO Survey” found that just over a quarter (26 per cent) of business leaders in Ireland said they were confident about prospects for revenue growth over the next 12 months.This was down from 43 per cent in 2025 and 60 per cent in 2022. Globally, 30 per cent of chief executives expressed confidence in their companies’ revenue prospects, down from 56 per cent in 2022.READ MOREWill auto-enrolment obligations limit what I can invest in my private pension? China’s economic growth slows to three-year low of 4.5%Irish farm lobby’s decision to oppose Mercosur could cost them when next EU budget is framed Ireland’s 11 billionaires’ wealth rises 2% to €46.3bn, Oxfam says“The findings suggest that as CEOs navigate a complex operating environment shaped by rapid technological change, geopolitical uncertainty and economic pressure, many companies have yet to translate investment into consistent financial gains,” the report said.The report, which surveyed 4,454 business leaders in 95 countries including Ireland, indicated that the top concern of company chiefs was whether or not their businesses were transforming “fast enough to keep pace with technological change, including AI (artificial intelligence)”.[ Ireland’s 11 billionaires are collectively wealthier than 85% of adults in State, says OxfamOpens in new window ]More them half of Irish chief executives (51 per cent) highlighted this as their top concern compared to 42 per cent.Concern over the adoption of AI was ranked ahead of traditional business concerns around “long-term viability” and “innovation capability”.Just under a fifth (17 per cent) of company chiefs in Ireland said that AI had delivered increased revenues in the past 12 months compared to 29 per cent.Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) said that AI had delivered cost reductions in the past 12 months compared to 26 per cent globally.The survey pointed to what it described as “a growing divide between companies piloting AI and those deploying it at scale”. Trump vs the Fed: What does it mean for global trade and Ireland?“Global CEOs reporting both cost and revenue gains are two to three times more likely to say they have embedded AI extensively across their business,” it said. Over a quarter (27 per cent) of Irish chief executives ranked “macroeconomic volatility”as the chief threat to their business compared to 31 per cent globally.The next biggest threats were geopolitical conflict (cited by 21 per cent of Irish companies, up from 13 per cent last year) and technology disruption (also cited by 21 per cent, up from 20 per cent last year).Fewer than one in ten (7 per cent) of Irish executives said their organisations were highly or extremely exposed to the risk of significant financial loss from tariffs compared to 20 per cent globally.“The challenge facing Irish CEOs is to decide how the company’s value creation recipe needs to change for the decade of technology innovation and industry reconfiguration ahead,” Enda McDonagh, managing partner at PwC Ireland, said.“The uncertainty that continues to surround global trade and geopolitics means Irish businesses cannot afford to focus narrowly on short-term activities,” he said.
