Entrepreneurs form an integral part of any nation’s economy and are the harbingers of innovation and development. While entrepreneurship is gender-agnostic yet women continue to be underrepresented in the field. Female entrepreneurs start their businesses, whether they are small start-ups or larger enterprises, and so assume leadership and innovation roles across various industries. The necessity of encouraging and supporting female entrepreneurship has been recognized more and more over time. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of organizations, initiatives, and policies designed to empower and enable women to start and expand their businesses.

According to Industrial Development Agency (IDA) Ireland, companies are actively supporting greater female participation at all levels as the percentage of women in the Irish workforce continues to advance.

According to a recent report by the Labour Market Pulse report from the same agency, which was released in collaboration with Microsoft and LinkedIn, the percentage of women hired to fill open leadership positions increased from 33 per cent in 2016 to 38 per cent in 2022. Even though unemployment is at 3.8 per cent, hiring rates overall were down 40 per cent from their peak in March of last year. This is because of persistent inflation and global economic uncertainty.

The policy used by Irish Organisations for Hiring Female Entrepreneurs:

The same report mentions that Irish businesses have changed their hiring procedures to address structural barriers to women's advancement in the workforce. Many of them now prioritize candidate skills over job titles in their hiring procedures.

According to a report by LinkedIn, a skills-first strategy in Ireland would increase more than six times the talent pool overall and provide 20 per cent more opportunities for women than men in traditionally male dominating professions.

The report states that a skills-first appraisal could significantly increase the applicant pool and offer greater opportunities for both candidates and employers as well as offer a competitive labor market, where several sectors continue to experience skill shortages. In addition to this, organizations have also considered flexible work arrangements, and between January 2021 and 2023, the proportion of women applying for remote or hybrid jobs doubled.

How Organisations and Government support:

The number of women starting and growing their businesses has been steadily increasing in Ireland over the years, with a focus on advancing gender equality. They have been provided support from the Irish government majorly as it has implemented various initiatives to promote female entrepreneurship. The government provides resources such as funding, mentorship, and training programs to the targeted women entrepreneurs. Several organizations in Ireland have also started new initiatives in order to help and support female entrepreneurship.

Through the Going for Growth initiative, successful female entrepreneurs who serve as voluntary lead entrepreneurs and offer advice and support are connected, female entrepreneurs. Other platforms that provide networking opportunities and resources for female entrepreneurs include Women's Inspire Network, Network Ireland, and National Enterprise Day.

Female entrepreneurs are also provided proper training and education by the educational institutions of Ireland that are specifically designed for women entrepreneurs. The Women Enterprise Development Initiative offers workshops, mentoring, and business development programs to women who are starting or expanding their businesses.