Cost of data breaches hits record high
The global average cost of a data breach has hit a record high of $4.35 million, an increase of almost 13% over the last two years. The annual ‘Cost of a Data Breach Report’ from IBM Security also reveals that it is often consumers who have to pay the price of cybercrime with 60% of […]
EU to seek cuts in heating, cooling of buildings to save gas
The European Commission is expected next week to ask EU countries to reduce heating and cooling of public buildings and offices to cut demand for gas. This is according to a document seen by AFP. In order to better withstand the drastic fall in Russian gas supplies, which could be cut off altogether, the commission […]
Dublin Port volumes recover strongly in the first half of 2022 with growth up 10%
Dublin Port volumes recovered strongly in the first half of 2022 with growth of 10.1% to 18.6 million tonnes. In trading figures out today, it said container and trailer volumes are now less than 1% behind the record pre‑pandemic and pre-Brexit levels of 2019. The number of ship arrivals increased by 150 to 3,694 versus […]
House hunters have less spending power than a year ago – daftmortgages
House hunters have €27,000 less spending power than a year ago, according to daftmortgages.ie. The website analysed the buying plans of over 170,000 people preparing for a mortgage and it found that the typical mortgage seeker now has €11,000 (15%) less savings to put towards a deposit than mortgage seekers in the same position a […]
Switching activity drives mortgage approvals in June – BPFI
The latest figures from the Banking & Payments Federation on the mortgage market point to a substantial increase in mortgage switching activity in recent months. The volume of approvals in this category was up over 150% year on year in June to 1,789 mortgages, the BPFI calculates. Boosted by this increased switching activity, the number […]
Plan on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions delayed
A plan to apply stringent greenhouse gas emission reduction targets on different parts of the economy will not go to Cabinet next week, as had been planned. Instead, Environment Minister Eamon Ryan will continue to engage with his Cabinet colleagues on how that burden should be shared – with agricultural emissions the most controversial issue. […]
Plans to extend DART to Maynooth and M3 Parkway
Iarnród Éireann will lodge plans this week for the extension of the electrified DART network from the Connolly/Spencer Dock area to west of Maynooth and on to the M3 Parkway in Co Meath. The company said it will deliver a more sustainable transport option for a number of communities, such as Maynooth, Leixlip and Castleknock. […]
New digital training scheme launched for SMEs
Google, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices have partnered to launch a new digital training scheme for SMEs. The ‘You’re the Business’ scheme provides online training and resources for all Irish SMEs to help them get online, to grow their digital footprint and expand internationally. A recent study from Google, developed in partnership with […]
HBFI reports busiest 6 month period for loan approvals
The state agency established to help fund the delivery of new homes grew loan approvals to €1.16bn at the end of June 2022. That was an increase of 38% on the €835 million approved by the end of 2021. It was Home Building Finance Ireland’s busiest ever six-month period based on loan approvals. HBFI was […]
Euro gets boost after ECB supersizes rate hike
The euro advanced against the dollar after Russia resumed gas supplies to Europe and the European Central Bank surprised markets with a 0.5 percentage-point rate hike. The advance by the single currency came on a mixed day for European stocks but a good session on Wall Street, where equities advanced for a third straight day. […]
National Lottery ticket sales exceeded €1bn last year
National Lottery ticket sales exceeded €1 billion last year, up 14.7% on the previous year, according to operator Premier Lotteries Ireland full year results for 2021. For the sixth consecutive year, growth was recorded in the money raised for good causes, which amounted to €304 million euro last year. The company said that approximately 90% […]
Used car asking prices now 64% above pre-pandemic levels
Asking prices for used cars rose 29% in the year to the end of June, new research from DoneDeal has found. According to the listings website, prices being sought for cars are now 63.7% higher than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic began. The rapidly rising costs are being driven by an ongoing supply demand […]
Consumer sentiment hits 21-month low in July
Consumer sentiment has dropped to a 21-month low this month on broad based concerns about the economy. In particular the KBC Bank Ireland consumer sentiment index found consumers were worried about severe financial pressures around their household finances. Overall the index fell from 57.7 in June to 53.7 in July, despite a surprise 2.2 point […]
€5m in funding for new construction technology centre
The Government has announced funding of €5 million over five years for a new construction technology centre, which will accelerate research and innovation within the construction sector. The centre will be based at NUI Galway, and the consortium includes Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, and University College Cork working with the Irish Green Building […]
57% of women in Ireland feel obligated to work while sick compared to 34% of men
A new survey reveals that 57% of women in Ireland feel obligated to work while sick when working remotely, compared with just 34% of men. The survey, from HR technology firm Workhuman, also found that 40% of women in Irish workplaces feel mentally exhausted and drained after the working day compared to 32% of men. […]
Recruitment squeeze felt by 63% of construction firms here
Nearly two thirds of construction companies here are finding it difficult to recruit skilled workers, according to a survey of over 300 firms here conducted by Core Research on behalf of software firm, Autodesk. They put the difficulty down to a lack of career options and negative perceptions about working in the industry, as well […]
Upskilling programme launched for bank staff
A new upskilling programme has been launched to help financial services employees who will be impacted in the coming months by redundancies in the banking sector. As Ulster Bank and KBC prepare to exit the Irish market, the ‘Skills Ignite for Financial Services’ scheme will support workers who wish to develop in-demand skills and improve […]
€9.3m in funding announced for online retail
Over 210 retailers are to receive €9.3m in grants through the latest round of a Government scheme designed to help businesses boost their online presence. The Online Retail Scheme is administered by Enterprise Ireland and is open to retailers who already have a website and a physical store. The grants can be used by businesses […]