The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment co-ordinates this Annual Business Survey of Economic Impact (ABSEI) of the client companies of the enterprise development agencies (Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta).

The results are presented by company ownership in terms of Irish and foreign-owned firms.

The indicators collected include annual sales and exports and payroll, materials and services costs. Data collected in 2023 is merged with results of previous surveys to provide trend data from 2000 and indicators are available by ownership and sector and are used by the agencies in their annual reports and end-of-year statements.

The purpose of this data collection is to inform evidence-based policymaking and enable the agencies to monitor the performance of client companies.