Semi-states and public bodies most attractive employers – survey
Irish semi-state and public bodies are the most attractive employers for professionals working in Ireland, according to new research from Universum, which is part of IrishJobs. The Most Attractive Employers Index Ireland 2023 reveals shifts in the most desired employers for professionals across Ireland, with well-established semi-states and public sector organisations becoming more popular, and […]
Irish stock market departures are symptom of wider EU malaise
Irish people have a rich history of looking to the US for a better life. That appears to be the thinking of Dublin-listed paper packaging company, Smurfit Kappa, which is joining a growing number of large Irish firms eyeing share trading in the US. But far from just being just a problem for tiny Ireland, […]
UN charter aims to promote gender equality in sustainable finance
A new United Nations charter aimed at promoting gender equality in the area of sustainable finance is being launched in Dublin this morning. The Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S) network has outlined ten objectives which involve the signatories bringing gender considerations into their decision-making, strategies, and operations over the next year. 21 financial networks across […]
‘”Enormous’ opportunity to double Irish exports to Canada within five years
A new report shows that Ireland’s goods exports to Canada reached a record high of €3.39 billion in 2022, while 2023 is set to be another record year, with exports in the first half of 2023 almost 90% ahead of the same time in 2022. The report, by economist Jim Power, was commissioned by the […]
Wholesale electricity prices up 10% in August, CSO data shows
Wholesale electricity prices rose in August but were still much lower year-on-year, according to the Central Statistics Office. Its latest Wholesale Price Index shows a more-than 10% increase in electricity prices compared to July. But prices were still more than 72% lower compared to August 2022. Another category to see a sharp fall in the […]
EU urges Ireland to speed up copper switch-off
The European Commission has urged Ireland to speed up the switching off of out-of-date copper wire networks for phone and broadband services. The switch-off of legacy copper networks is seen as a key step in the rollout of new broadband networks. The communications regulator ComReg published proposed rules around the switch-off earlier this year and […]
Consumer confidence drops to lowest level in six months
Consumer confidence dropped to a six month low in September, amid a rebound in oil prices, a further rise in interest rates and a gloomier economic outlook. The Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Index declined from 62.2 in August to 58.8 in September, marking the second monthly drop in a row. Modest improvements in confidence were […]
Govt must balance support and inflation in budget – McGrath
The Minister for Finance has said the Government faces a challenge in the upcoming budget in getting the balance right between providing an appropriate amount of support needed for society and the economy without pushing inflation higher. But addressing the Dublin Chamber annual dinner, Michael McGrath said he is confident it will get it right. […]
Housing commencements up 30.6% in August
New figures from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage shows that the number of new commencement notices for August rose by 30.6% compared to the same time last year. The Department said commencement notices for 2,770 new homes were received by Building Control Authorities in August, up from 2.121 units in August of […]
Unlikely energy prices will return to 2020 levels over coming months – CRU
It is unlikely that households will see energy prices return to the previous low levels seen in 2020 and 2021 over the coming months, a new report from the energy regulator has found. But the research from the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) does predict that gas and electricity customers should see some […]
March ‘probably too early’ to expect interest rates to fall – Makhlouf
The Governor of the Central Bank has said his view is that March is probably too early a time to expect interest rates in the eurozone to start falling again. Gabriel Makhlouf also said he would like to see a much faster pass through of European Central Bank interest rate changes to the real economy. […]
McGrath wants public bodies to keep taking cash payments
The Minister for Finance has written to Government colleagues asking that public bodies under their remit maintain their existing payment methods in relation to accepting cash pending the completion of the National Payments Strategy. Michael McGrath also said he expects that all public bodies that currently accept or facilitate the acceptance of cash will continue […]
Spending on homewares up 18% in August, but pub spend dips 1% – AIB
Summer spending recovered slightly last month despite the continuing bad weather, a new survey shows today. The AIB August Spend Trend report reveals that overall spending rose by 1% in August compared to the previous month. The bank its report suggests that due to the bad weather many people decided to stay home with spending […]
Euro zone August inflation revised slightly lower
Euro zone consumer inflation in August was slightly lower than initially estimated, the European Union’s statistics office Eurostat said today. But it still remained more than twice the European Central Bank’s target of 2%. Eurostat said inflation in the 20 countries sharing the euro was 0.5% month-on-month in August and 5.2% year-on-year, lower than the […]
First Home Scheme extended to self-builders building first home
The Government has extended the First Home Scheme to self-builders who are building their first home. The scheme, which was launched just over a year ago, works by providing homebuyers with part of the purchase price in return for a minority equity stake in the home. It is already open to people buying newly-built houses […]
Grocery price inflation falls to lowest level in a year – Kantar
Grocery price inflation slowed to 11.5% in the 12 weeks to September 3, new figures from Kantar show today. This marks the lowest level of grocery price inflation since September of last year and is down from a rate of 12.8% in the 12 weeks to August 6. But it remains much higher than the […]
Economic growth expected to slow as multinational exports weaken – Central Bank
The Central Bank has lowered its forecasts for growth in the economy based on weaker exports from multinationals in Ireland, but has left its outlook for inflation broadly unchanged. In its Quarterly Bulletin, published today, the bank also said the Government’s spending plans for the upcoming Budget risk adding to inflation. The bank forecasts that […]
Annual house price growth cools to 1.5% in July – CSO
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that residential property prices rose by 1.5% in the 12 months to July. This marked the slowest annual rate of growth in almost three years and compared to a growth rate of 13.1% the same time last year. Prices in Dublin decreased by 1.4% and prices outside […]