How Mid Market Businesses Are Thinking About Risk, Confidence and Growth
What mid-market businesses are saying today
We surveyed 200 mid-market businesses across the UK and Ireland to understand how C-suite decision-makers are navigating today's complex risk environment. For Irish businesses generating €20m to €500m in revenue and employing 50-500 people, the findings reveal a striking confidence gap: while external uncertainties create caution, internal belief in business resilience remains remarkably strong.
Download the full report
Download the full confidence survey to read our conclusions – drawn from the input of decision-makers themselves, an analysis of UK business growth confidence, and reactions from Travelers’ subject experts.
Decision-makers at organisations with revenue from €/£20m to €/£500m, and between 50 and 500 employees were surveyed
36% have declining confidence in the economy as a whole
18% are getting more downbeat about their own businesses
88% think the risk environment is static or worsening
Why Travelers Explored Business Confidence
Ireland's mid-market businesses contribute significantly to economic momentum, yet they're navigating unprecedented complexity. Today's risk environment makes the VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) challenges of the early 2000s seem positively stable by comparison.
What our survey shows is companies who believe in their growth potential but need confidence to act on opportunities. With mid-market firms experiencing cyber crime at twice the overall business average, and facing interconnected pressures across workforce, supply chain and regulatory landscapes, the traditional approach to risk management requires evolution.
We commissioned this research to understand how insurance can transform from a compliance cost into a strategic growth enabler, helping Irish businesses unlock their risk capacity for investment and expansion.
How Brokers Can Use These Insights with Clients Looking for Insurance
Our research confirms that client perceptions of risk mitigation are evolving. Insurance has moved beyond covering financial losses to providing comprehensive services that address interconnected risks, empowering decision-makers to pursue growth opportunities confidently.
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A red umbrella logo. Travelers. Text: How can we energise business confidence?
88% of decision-makers tell us risk is static or worsening. A pie chart fills in red.
And the risks vary from the economy to technology and beyond. Profitability 79%, skills slash people 66%, compliance 65%, cybersecurity 56%, supply chain 54%.
These risks are interconnected, creating a matrix. Red dots are connected by lines.
For example, a cyberattack can disrupt your supply chain, constrain financing options, and result in contractual disputes.
Just 17% think insurance market is very good at helping them manage risk. 40% good, 42% neutral or negative.
This is where brokers can add real value. Travelers is working with brokers to support resilience and growth. The red dots turn yellow.
Together we can help businesses unpick the risk matrix. Prioritise risk, understand exposure, rebuild confidence.
So companies can focus on growing and driving the economy. Birds fly over city buildings.
Read the full report.
TRAVELERS. This video is provided for general informational purposes only. It does not, and it is not intended to, provide legal, technical or other professional advice, nor does it amend, or otherwise affect, the provisions or coverages of any insurance policy issued by Travelers. Travelers operates through several underwriting entities in the UK and Europe. Please consult your policy documentation or visit the websites below for full information. Travelers and the Travelers Umbrella logo are registered trademarks of The Travelers Indemnity Company in the U.S. and other countries. travelers.co.uk, travelers.ie
The report validates what brokers and their Irish clients experience daily, demonstrating these challenges are widely shared across Ireland's mid-market sector. Strategic insurance solutions can function as 'circuit breakers', interrupting risk connections and making unmanageable exposures feel controllable.
Travelers wants to go beyond transactional discussions for Ireland's mid-market sector. Take cyber insurance: rather than simply covering breach losses, comprehensive coverage includes readiness assessments, incident response, systems restoration, supply chain protection and employee wellness support. This gives Irish decision-makers confidence to make strategic investments. We deliver long-term solutions that build resilience, not one-off transactions that merely transfer risk.
Travelers operates through several underwriting entities in the UK and Europe. Please consult your policy documentation or review our Regulatory Statement for more information.
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