Over half of Irish exporters had customers who did not pay them over the last year, according to a survey released yesterday.
The Irish Exporters' Association (IEA) Export Ireland Survey 2004 shows that Irish companies selling goods and services overseas are spending a growing proportion of their time on credit management.
The report states that 43.5 per cent of those surveyed agreed that customers are taking longer to pay than in the past, while just 24.1 per cent disagreed.
Of the businesses involved, 51.6 per cent reported having to deal with bad debts during the past year, a figure the IEA describes as "surprisingly high". At the same time, 15.3 per cent reported that their overseas customers delayed payments.
Despite the problems that they encounter with payment, the report shows that Irish exporters are unwilling to take out credit insurance.
