Ibec calls for more autonomy in reopening road map
The chief executive of Ibec has told the Government it is vital that the next road map to reopening the economy is less prescriptive in nature than previously. In a letter to the Taoiseach and other ministers, Danny McCoy said businesses welcomed that Government is publishing a revised road map to reflect the progress made […]
Number of PUP recipients falls below 150,000 for first time
The number of people due to receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) this week has fallen by less than 4,000 when compared to last week. 149,436 will get the PUP in the coming few days, down from 153,309 last week. It is the first time that the number of recipients has fallen below the 150,000 […]
Grocery market declines by 3.9% as indoor dining resumes – Kantar
The Irish grocery market declined by 3.9% during the 12 weeks to August 8, as life continued to edge back to normal and indoor dining in restaurants, pubs and cafés returned for people who are double vaccinated. Kantar said it was important to put the dip in sales in perspective as they are compared to […]
Health insurance, pensions among benefits workers want
Health insurance, pensions and paid sick leave are among the top benefits sought by employees from their employers, new research has revealed. However, the provision of support for childcare was the benefit that was least offered by employers, the study by Morgan McKinley also found, with just 1.1% receiving it from the firm they work […]
80% of retailers in rent arrears with landlord – Retail Excellence
80% of retailers are in rent arrears with at least one landlord, a new survey by industry representative body Retail Excellence has revealed. The research also found that in one fifth of rent arrears cases, the retailer claimed there had been no engagement whatsoever from their landlord. “This survey provides a useful indication of what […]
Pensions gap widens as pandemic deepens the divide
Psychologists say we have very little appreciation or concept of ourselves in the future. In other words, our future selves are strangers to each of us. This lack of relationship with our older selves partly explains why we are so bad at planning for the longer term, such as saving towards retirement. According to research […]
AIB paving way for social bonds
AIB is preparing for the issuance of a Social Bond which it says will go towards financing community programmes across the country. The bank has launched a Social Bond Framework which will pave the way for it to tap what it believes is expanding investor appetite for bonds issued by organisations that go towards achieving […]
ECB still more worried about inflation being too low – Schnabel
This year’s surge in inflation in the euro zone is still seen as temporary, even if prices continue to rise from already high levels, European Central Bank board member Isabel Schnabel told a German newspaper over the weekend. Repeating the ECB’s long-standing view on inflation, Schnabel said that over the medium term, inflation still risked […]
‘Real opportunity’ to make blended working part of life, says Varadkar
A new report on the right to request remote work has been published with the Tánaiste saying: “We have a real opportunity now to make remote and blended working a much bigger part of normal working life.” Currently in Ireland, all employees can ask their employers for the right to work remotely, but there is […]
Motor insurers to introduce new compliance measures
Six motor insurance companies have signed legally binding agreements to reform their internal competition law compliance programmes, following an investigation by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. However, Brokers Ireland, which was also the subject of the probe, has declined to sign up to the agreements. It has strongly rejected it ever engaged in conduct […]
Govt needs to strengthen role of CCPC, says SF’s Doherty
Sinn Féin’s finance spokesperson, Pearse Doherty, said the Government needs to strengthen the hand of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and bring forward legislation to allow fines to be issued. His comments come as six motor insurance companies signed legally binding agreements to reform their internal competition law compliance programmes, following an investigation […]
Most consumers expect house prices to continue rising
70% of Irish consumers expect house prices to rise over the next three years, according to a new survey by KBC Bank Ireland. Just 12% said they expect to see prices drop, while 5% see prices being broadly flat. The survey shows that one in two Irish consumers expects Irish house prices to rise faster […]
Vaccine status issue may delay some offices reopening survey finds
Legal restrictions that prevent employers from finding out the coronavirus vaccine status of employees risk delaying the re-opening of offices and are costing businesses money, new research has found. The issue is also causing a negative impact on relations between a third of employers and their employees, according to the findings of a survey by […]
Business leaders feeling more optimistic about economy
Almost two thirds of business leaders are feeling optimistic about the Irish economy, more than twice the level recorded at the start of the year. According to a new survey of members by the Institute of Directors, nearly three quarters of those questioned feel the financial performance of their organisation will improve this quarter, up […]
The language barrier in the workplace
Over 60% of non-native English speakers working in Ireland say they need to work harder than their Irish peers to progress in the workplace, according to research published by AllTalk Training. AllTalk Training is a training provider that specialises in communication and collaboration for multicultural workplaces. It conducted focus group research with 80 non-native English […]
Govt approves legislation to establish Corporate Enforcement Authority
The Government has approved the publication of the Companies Bill 2021, which will transform the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement into a statutory and independent agency with additional resources to investigate and prosecute white collar crime. When the Bill is enacted, the new authority will have more powers to deal with larger, more […]
4,400 PUP recipients closed claims this week
Just over 153,000 people received the Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week, according to figures from the Department of Social Protection. Around 4,400 PUP recipients closed their claims in the week with almost half of these working in the Accommodation and Food sector, the figures show. The number of people receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment has […]
Outbreaks occurring in workplaces and at social gatherings – HSE
More than 100 Covid outbreaks are occurring each week, most of which are happening at social gatherings and in workplaces, the National Lead for Testing and Tracing at the HSE has said. Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Philip Boucher Hayes, Niamh O’Beirne said there are an increasing number of outbreaks in these settings with people […]