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Two groups representing small businesses have given gloomy assessments of the prospects for 2009.

The Small Firms Association has warned that the outlook for jobs in 2009 is poor, following a 57% jump in redundancies in 2008.

The SFA says more than 37,000 lay-offs were notified to the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment this year, up 57% from 2007.

SFA assistant director Avine McNally says the figures should serve as a wake-up call. 'In 2009, the scope, extent and impact of redundancies will be far worse, therefore the focus must be on sustaining current employment levels,' she says.

Ms McNally says investment and business confidence continue to weaken, with difficult exchange rates and the international credit crunch causing liquidity and cashflow issues for the small businesses sector.

'Bleak' 2009 outlook, says ISME

Small business group ISME has said the country's economic prospects for 2009 are 'bleak', and has urged the Government to ensure that increases in costs are kept to a minimum.

In its end of year statement, the group says a year which started with difficulty is ending at 'near disaster'.

ISME says economic uncertainty will keep businesses cautious about investing. It also cites a sudden decline in the availability of credit, falling confidence in the economy and the weaker dollar and sterling as factors which could make 2009 more difficult.

ISME says the impact of a weaker sterling on Irish manufacturers exporting to the UK has been disastrous.