Engineering and construction among hardest to fill jobs
New data shows that instrumentation engineers, ad reviewers, and mechanical and electrical project managers are the most difficult jobs to fill. The ‘Hardest to Fill Jobs’ analysis of Irish job posts by jobs site Indeed shows that online moderators, tax consultants and construction specialists are also proving difficult to recruit. Indeed’s analysis examined job postings […]
Majority want stricter regulation of social media algorithm – survey
Almost three-quarters of Irish people believe that social media algorithms, that select the content users see, should be regulated more strictly. The findings are contained in new research from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) and Uplift which also shows that 82% of those surveyed believe so-called “recommender systems” should be switched off. Recommender […]
Oil prices rise on strong IEA and OPEC demand estimates
Oil prices rose today as the International Energy Agency (IEA) joined producer group OPEC in forecasting strong growth in global oil demand and as cold winter weather disrupted US crude output while the government reported a big weekly draw in crude inventories. Oil traders also worried about geopolitical risks in the Middle East. Pakistan conducted […]
Number of new homes under construction hits record high
Building work began on 32,801 new homes last year, the highest number on record, new data shows. The figure for commencement notices lodged in 2023 compares to 26,957 in 2022, an increase of 21.5%. It follows a strong end to the year, where the number of commencement notices filed in December rose 76% compared to […]
Stamp duty on block-buying homes to be reviewed
Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien has said that the 10% stamp duty rate, which is applicable to international investors who buy more than ten residential properties, will be reviewed. He was replying in the Dáil to Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson on Finance Pearse Doherty, who said that such investors are block-buying new homes at a rate […]
Taoiseach to meet world leaders and CEOs in Davos
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is in Davos for the World Economic Forum, which has so far been dominated by the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Mr Varadkar is expected to meet a number of world leaders and hold bilateral talks with the chief executive officers of several global corporations. He arrived in Davos last […]
Ireland top European country for data fines
Ireland has once again topped a league table of European countries for issuing data fines. The 2024 edition of global law firm DLA Piper’s annual GDPR and Data Breach Survey shows that supervisory authorities across Europe have issued a total of €1.78 billion in fines since 28 January 2023, which is an increase of 14.1% […]
Wage growth in Ireland eases to 3.7%
Wage growth in Ireland slowed at the end of 2023 and has dropped to 3.7% year-on-year, according to a new report from jobs site Indeed and the Central Bank of Ireland. The research shows that the wage growth rate in Ireland is below the 3.8% recorded across the euro area and the slowest since April […]
Minister assures flexibility over tax debt warehousing scheme
Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has said the Government will introduce flexibilities to the Tax Debt Warehousing Scheme. Speaking to RTÉ News in Davos, Mr McGrath said: “We are going to make some changes to the tax warehousing regime with a view to being as flexible as we possibly can. “We’ve been engaging with the […]
Plan launched for future of digital creative industries
The Government has launched a plan to boost growth in the digital creative industries. The roadmap will focus on commercial design, digital games and content creation including advertising and commercial social media content. The plan is designed to leverage the potential of the sectors for sustainable employment, export growth and regional development. Implementation of the […]
Inflation rate moves up to 4.6% in December – CSO
The annual rate of inflation rose in December, driven by increases in prices in areas such as restaurants and hotels, mortgage interest repayments and rents and package holidays. The Consumer Price Index climbed to 4.6% in the year to the end of December, the Central Statistics Office said today. That compares to 3.9% in the […]
Cybercrime top financial crime threat in Ireland, survey finds
Hacking, phishing, online scams, and other variations of cybercrime are thought to be the most prevalent financial crimes in Ireland, according to a new survey. The study was conducted by the Compliance Institute, the professional body for compliance professionals. It found that fraud and tax evasion take joint second place as the most prevalent financial […]
CSO: Exports down 3% in November to €16.5bn, imports up
Exports of goods from Ireland fell by 3% or almost €600 million in November 2023 when compared to the same time the previous year. In total, goods valued at just over €16.5 billion were exported during the month, down almost €2bn on the previous month, the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show. When […]
Wind farms supplied 35% of electricity in Ireland in 2023
Wind farms supplied a record 35% of all electricity used on the island of Ireland last year, according to the annual report of Wind Energy Ireland. This saved €1.6 billion, north and south, from having to be spent on imported gas and carbon credits that would have been required to burn it. As a result, […]
Construction activity contracts for a sixth month
There was a contraction in construction activity for the sixth month running in December, the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index for the sector from BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland shows. However, there was a slightly softer pace of decline in the final month of the year with the headline figure increasing from 45.1 to 44.5. Any […]
Higher hotel prices not deterring customers
More than 1,800 new hotel rooms came on stream here in 2023, bringing total stock to an estimated 66,200, an analysis by Deloitte has concluded. But the new supply did not result in lower prices with the average room rate increasing in the three broad areas outlined in the report. The average daily rate in […]
38% of employers want workers back in the office in 2024 – survey
A new survey has shown that 38% of Irish employers will require their employees to spend more time in the office in 2024. The study from recruitment consultants Hays Ireland also shows that 58% of employers expect hybrid working arrangements to stay the same this year. The research found that, currently, 44% of employees work […]
Varying regulation within EU a top barrier for trade, new research shows
Varying regulation across the EU is the top challenge for businesses trading across borders, new research shows. The latest survey by Eurochambres, of which Chambers Ireland is a member, reveals the issues companies face when trading within the EU single market. 70% of those surveyed cited the difference in legal practices and contractual arrangements as […]