Annual rate of inflation falls to 6.1% in June – CSO
The annual rate of inflation stood at 6.1% in June, down from 6.6% in the 12 months to the end of May, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show. However, the data also shows that consumer prices rose by 0.8% between May and June. Core inflation, which excludes energy and unprocessed foods, rose to […]
Ireland’s emissions down 1.9% but reduction targets missed
Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions decreased in 2022 compared with the previous year, according to a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Total emissions were 1.9% lower due to decreases in the residential, agricultural and energy sectors. However, emissions from the transport sector increased by 6%. The EPA’s latest assessment of annual greenhouse gas […]
Infrastructure deficit is leading to lost opportunities, Ibec warns
Ibec has warned that Ireland is currently losing out on business opportunities because of constraints in capacity in the economy, including around housing. The employers’ organisation claims the Government must focus on creating greater economic capacity in October’s budget, through both expanding infrastructure and boosting social investment. Launching Ibec’s pre-budget submission, Executive Director of Lobbying […]
Used cars 79% more expensive than pre-pandemic
Asking prices for used cars are 79% higher than they were pre-pandemic, but the rate at which prices are rising is slowing. New figures from listings website DoneDeal show the annual rate of inflation slowed to 10.7% in the second quarter of this year. That is down from 26.6% the same time last year, and […]
Disadvantaged areas hit harder by unemployment during pandemic – ESRI
A new report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has found that people living in disadvantaged areas experienced greater disruption to their employment during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study, entitled ‘Pandemic Unemployment and Social Disadvantage in Ireland’, was carried out in collaboration with Pobal. Pobal is an organisation that administers and manages Government […]
New platform aimed at addressing skills gap launched
A new platform aimed at addressing skills gaps in the workforce and wider economy is being launched today. MicroCreds.ie has been developed by the Irish University Association in conjunction with a number of universities offering hundreds of short, flexible courses with university-accreditation. MicroCreds partner universities have developed courses in key skills areas including sustainability, digital […]
96% of Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland accounts now closed
New Central Bank figures show that just over 96% of all current accounts that were open in Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland at the beginning of 2022 were either closed or inactive by the end of June this year. Ulster Bank and KBC Bank announced their intentions to leave the Irish market in 2021. […]
27% of jobs at high risk from AI revolution – OECD
More than a quarter of jobs in the OECD rely on skills that could be easily automated in the coming artificial intelligence revolution, and workers fear they could lose their jobs to AI, the OECD said today. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a 38-member bloc, spanning mostly wealthy nations but also […]
New home starts up 7% compared to same period last year
The three coalition leaders and Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien will unveil the latest progress report on the Government’s “Housing For All” plan. The data relates Q2, from April to June this year. It shows building started on 12,987 new homes in the first five months of 2023, up 7% when compared to the same […]
Home asking prices up 2.2% in second quarter – MyHome
Asking prices for homes across the country were 2.2% higher between April and June than they were during the same period last year, as the market began to show signs of stabilising. The MyHome.ie quarterly house price report shows that during the period, the national median price sought for a home was €325,000, an increase […]
New electric car sales up 65% in first half of 2023
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the number of new electric cars licensed has increased by 65% from 8,309 in the first half of 2022 to 13,701 in the first half of 2023. The CSO said that in the first six months of this year, 25,446 of the new cars licensed were […]
First increase in construction activity recorded since September of 2022
Construction activity in Ireland increased in June for the first time since September of last year, albeit slightly. New data from the BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland Construction Purchasing Managers Index shows new orders and employment both continued to expand during the month. They also did so at their quickest pace since March. Inflation also […]
Euro zone price pressures finally easing – ECB’s de Guindos
The ECB has raised interest rates at every meeting over the past year and promised another hike this month The ECB has raised interest rates at every meeting over the past year and promised another hike this month Underlying inflation pressures, a key focus for the European Central Bank, are finally easing across the euro […]
€783m paid in unpublished tax settlements last year
A massive €783m was paid last year in unpublished tax settlements involving close to 55,000 separate companies and members of the public. A total of €665m was paid out by companies in 35,684 separate settlements, an average of around €19,000 each. A further €103m had to be given to Revenue by individual taxpayers and members […]
1 in 3 struggling to survive financially – CCPC report
One in three people in Ireland say they are just about getting by financially, a new report conducted on behalf of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) suggests. More than 1,500 people were surveyed for the study, which is the first in a series of reports on financial wellbeing in Ireland. The study and […]
IFAC: Govt to boost core spending by more than stated in Summer Economic Statement
The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has calculated that the Government plans to increase core spending next year by €5.5 billion, some €250 million more than set out in the Summer Economic Statement published yesterday. In a series of tweets, the Council said this would see spending rise by 6.4% and not the 6.1% in the […]
Euro zone retail sales flat in May, still down year-on-year
Retail sales volumes in the 20 nations sharing the euro currency were unchanged from April and were 2.9% lower year-on-year. That compared with average forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists of a 0.2% monthly rise and a 2.7% decline from a year earlier. Consumption has been sluggish as real incomes fall and households are […]
1 in 3 struggling to survive financially – CCPC report
One in three people in Ireland say they are just about getting by financially, a new report conducted on behalf of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) suggests. More than 1,500 people were surveyed for the study, which is the first in a series of reports on financial wellbeing in Ireland. The study and […]