Chambers Ireland released the survey for the launch of the Chamber Business School, in association with FAS. The programme will train some 3,000 people this year, the business group said.

"Companies are spending 4% of turnover on training, " said John Dunne, Chambers Ireland chief executive. "It represents some improvement on the situation a decade ago but unfortunately smaller businesses are still not investing enough in training."

"The results of this survey in relation to health and safety training are also of serious concern, " Dunne added, "especially when set against existing research which shows that SMEs account for 82% of all occupational injuries and 90% of fatal accidents. There is a dearth of training tailored for lower risk businesses such as retail and financial services which the Chamber Business School aims to redress."