How do older employees view age discrimination in the workplace?
What does ageism in the workplace look like? It can be hiring bias, stereotyping, early layoffs, forced retirement, microaggressions or exclusion. Sometimes it’s loud and visible; other times it’s subtle and silent. Unlike many other forms of workplace discrimination, ageism often remains invisible and undiscussed, yet it profoundly affects the lives, careers, and mental well-being […]
US consumer prices increase moderately in July, as data quality concerns rising
US consumer prices increased moderately in July, though rising costs for goods because of import tariffs led to a measure of underlying inflation posting its largest gain in six months. The US consumer price index rose 0.2% last month after gaining 0.3% in June, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said today. In the […]
64% of SMEs unaffected by crime in past 12 months
64% of Irish SMEs were unaffected by crime in the past 12 months, according to new research by ISME. Of the 36% which did experience crime, 68% were targeted more than once. Anti-social behaviour, vandalism, burglary and phishing attacks were the most common offences. For businesses affected, the costs are considerable with 28% reporting increased […]
Norway wealth fund posts half year $68 billion profit
Norway’s $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, posted a 698 billion Norwegian crowns ($68.28 billion) profit for the first half of the year, lifted by strong returns among stocks in the financial industry, it said today. The fund’s overall return for the January-June period was 5.7%, which was 0.05 percentage point lower than […]
Lenders banking on customer apathy on mortgage rates – survey
The latest doddl.ie Mortgage Switching Index suggests that thousands of mortgage holders on variable rates could be paying over 2.25 percentage points more than necessary. Doddl.ie said that despite the return of sub-3% variable rates to the market, many borrowers remain on legacy variable products of up to 5.25%, adding that while fixed rates have […]
Australian central bank cuts key rate, warns of uncertainty
Australia’s central bank cut its key interest rate to its lowest in two years today, but warned global challenges continue to cause uncertainty. The Reserve Bank of Australia cut the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.6%, citing steady progress in bringing inflation down. “Uncertainty in the world economy remains elevated,” the bank’s monetary […]
Tariffs: Some clarity, but still a lot of uncertainty
After months of negotiations, on again-off again tariffs, delayed implementation dates and threatened higher levies, Donald Trump’s 15% tariff on most imports from the EU to the US took effect at midnight on Thursday. It means many Irish products being exported to the US now face a tariff of 15% with, so far, very few […]
Over €66m unclaimed from Deposit Return Scheme
Irish consumers last year turned their back on €66.7m when they failed to cash in their deposits for drink containers through the Government’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). That is according to the 2024 annual report for Re-Turn which shows that the failure by consumers to redeem the €66m worth in deposits for their drink containers […]
Slight rise in home retrofits in first 3 months of year
Almost 12,000 home energy upgrades were carried out in the first three months of the year through Government funded grant schemes. This is up 2% on the number of upgrades carried out during the same period last year. New figures from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) reveal that Government expenditure across all schemes […]
Trump’s higher tariffs hit major US trading partners, sparking defiance and concern
US trade partners such as Switzerland, Brazil and India were still scrambling to get a better deal as President Donald Trump’s higher tariff rates on imports from dozens of countries kicked in, raising the average US import duty to its highest in a century. The US Customs and Border Protection agency began collecting the higher […]
Food prices up almost 5% in 12 months to July
Food prices increased by 4.7% in July when compared to the same month last year, new data from the Central Statistics Office shows. The Consumer Price Index reveals that the average price of two litres of full fat milk jumped by 28 cents in the past year to €2.47, while a pound of butter increased […]
Unemployment rate rises to 4.9% in July
The unemployment rate increased slightly in July when compared to the previous month, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show. The seasonally adjusted rate was 4.9%, up from 4.6% in June. The monthly youth unemployment rate for those aged 15-24 jumped to 12.2%, from 11.3% the previous month. The rate for those aged 25-74 […]
Tax take to end of July up 7.5% on same time last year
The amount of tax collected by the State between January and the end of July was up by 7.5% on the same time last year, when once off payments related to the Apple tax ruling are excluded. The latest Exchequer Returns show that so far this year, €56.2bn in tax receipts were collected, an increase […]
Revenue writes to almost 70,000 pensioners over incorrect tax payments
The Revenue Commissioners has written to almost 70,000 pensioners over issues relating to incorrect tax payments. The retirees are among around 260,000 taxpayers who may have overpaid or underpaid tax for the year 2022. Revenue said the group includes about 68,000 people aged over 65, but it insisted it has not launched a campaign specifically […]
Bank of England set to cut interest rates again
The Bank of England looks poised to cut interest rates for the fifth time in 12 months today but nagging worries about inflation are likely to split its policymakers and cloud the outlook for its next moves. Governor Andrew Bailey and most of the Monetary Policy Committee are expected to favour taking Bank Rate to […]
Revenue overpayments to staff reached €1.7m by end of 2023
The value of salary overpayments to Revenue staff reached almost €1.7 million at the end of 2023 with more than one in seven of its workforce getting paid above their proper salaries, according to the findings of an internal audit by the tax authorities. The audit report revealed that 61 Revenue employees had received overpayments […]
Growth in services sector eases further in July
Growth in the services sector eased again in July, according to the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index from AIB. The index dropped to 50.9 from 51.5 in June, marking the slowest pace of growth since January 2024. This was driven by softer output, new business and hiring activity. Three sectors registered growth of activity in July. […]
Tariffs on pharmaceuticals could reach 250%, says Trump
US President Donald Trump has said that upcoming tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals could reach 250%, after starting at a lower level, while adding he plans to also unveil fresh duties on foreign semiconductors. “We’ll be putting (an) initially small tariff on pharmaceuticals, but in one year, one-and-a-half years, maximum, it’s going to go to 150%,” […]