Gas demand down by a fifth during mild August – GNI
Overall gas demand in August was well down on the same month last year amid mild and changeable weather. According to the latest Gas Demand Statement from Gas Networks Ireland, gas demand in the month was down by a fifth on August of last year and by 2% on July. Gas remained the biggest contributor […]
Energy companies told to ‘go further’ on price cuts
The four main energy companies have been told that they must go further on price cuts, during a meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and energy minister Eamon Ryan this afternoon. The two ministers met the four largest suppliers – Electric Ireland, SSE Electricity, Bord Gáis and Energia. Price reductions of between 10% and 20% have […]
Surge in demand for IT and digital roles – ManpowerGroup survey
Despite fears of AI replacing jobs in the tech sector, there has been a surge in demand for workers in IT and digital roles, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. It shows that IT sector hiring demand has climbed by 20% compared to the previous quarter. The survey is based on responses from […]
Disconnect between employers and older workers, survey finds
Recruitment firm Hays Ireland has said that new research it has conducted has revealed a disconnect between employers and older workers. The company said its survey of 1,600 employers and employees shows a notable communication gap between the retirement plans of older workers and the strategies of employers to retain their knowledge and skills. According […]
EU Commission cuts euro zone growth forecast as Germany in recession
The euro zone economy will grow slower than previously expected this year and next, the European Commission forecast today. This comes as consumer demand suffers from high inflation and the biggest economy, Germany, slips into recession this year. In its interim forecasts for gross domestic product and inflation of the euro zone’s five biggest economies, […]
Number of female business leaders continues to rise, but slowly – CSO
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that Irish businesses continue to increase female representation at both senior executive and board level, albeit slowly. However, the number of females in Chief Financial Officer positions continues to fall. Carried out every two years, the CSO Gender Balance in Business Survey looks at female representation among […]
Lack of state support a barrier to fintech expansion – report
A lack of government support for growth and innovation has been identified as a major barrier to expansion in the financial technology, or fintech, sector in a report carried out by Ibec group Financial Services Ireland. Fintech is defined as the use of new technology to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial […]
Oil prices ease but supply cuts keep Brent above $90 a barrel
Oil prices eased today as a stronger US dollar and economic concerns in China weighed on the outlook for fuel demand, but extended supply cuts by Saudi Arabia and Russia helped keep Brent above $90 a barrel. Brent crude fell 15 cents, or 0.2%, to $90.50 a barrel in early trade, while US West Texas […]
64% of consumers buy sustainable goods, cost an issue
Two thirds of Irish consumers buy sustainable products sometimes or often, a new survey has found. The research by Deloitte found the level of sustainable purchasing was higher among those who considered themselves middle-income earners, at 65%. While among those who categorised themselves as lower income earners, 59% said they purchase sustainable products sometimes or […]
Higher mortgage rates, oil costs push inflation to 6.3%
Inflation rose at an annual rate of 6.3% in August, up from 5.8% in July, according to the latest Central Statistics Office figures. Inflation took a step in the wrong direction last month with the increase mostly driven by higher mortgage interest rates and higher prices for home heating oil and motor fuels. The recent […]
Texts and phone calls down, data usage up
A new report reveals that mobile phone users are sending less texts and making less calls, but using more data. New figures from the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg show on average people make 145 minutes of calls every month, down over 26% on the same time last year. The amount of text messages being […]
Euro zone economy grew just 0.1% in second quarter
The euro zone economy grew by a mere 0.1% in the second quarter, lower than previously estimated, official data showed today. The European Union’s Eurostat data agency had previously put growth at 0.3% between April and June compared with the previous quarter in the countries that use the euro currency. Eurostat also revised its first-quarter […]
Banking industry’s new support measures for mortgage customers
The main Irish bank and non-bank lenders have agreed a new set of criteria designed to provide clear guidance to mortgage holders whose loans are managed by credit servicing on how they could potentially switch their loan to another provider. The criteria lay out agreed requirements that borrowers whose mortgages are with credit servicers would […]
Commercial vacancy rate hits 14.1% – highest on record
There were 29,798 vacant commercial units recorded across the country between April and June. There were 29,798 vacant commercial units recorded across the country between April and June. By Gill Stedman The commercial vacancy rate in Ireland has hit 14.1%, the highest level since GeoDirectory started recording the data ten years ago. GeoDirectory is Ireland’s […]
Women encouraged to consider construction careers
The shortage of construction workers is one of the biggest challenges facing the building industry amid warnings that there is not enough skilled labour to meet the demand for housing. Efforts are under way to try to encourage more women to enter the sector. Samantha Kelly works for Glenveagh Construction Programmes have also been launched […]
Banking industry’s new support measures for mortgage customers
The main Irish bank and non-bank lenders have agreed a new set of criteria designed to provide clear guidance to mortgage holders whose loans are managed by credit servicing on how they could potentially switch their loan to another provider. The criteria lay out agreed requirements that borrowers whose mortgages are with credit servicers would […]
National Broadband Plan marks 50,000th connection in Cork
The company marked the latest milestone in the NBP rollout at a farm in rural Co Cork. Peter Hendrick, the chief executive of National Broadband Ireland, the number of of homes, farms and businesses connected to the NBI network has doubled in the last nine months. “Over 180,000 premises are ready to connect by signing […]
Euro zone August downturn deeper than was thought – PMIs
The decline in euro zone business activity accelerated faster than initially thought last month as the bloc’s dominant services industry fell into contraction. This is according to a survey which suggests the bloc could drop into recession. HCOB’s final Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global and seen as a good barometer of […]