Plan on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions delayed
A plan to apply stringent greenhouse gas emission reduction targets on different parts of the economy will not go to Cabinet next week, as had been planned. Instead, Environment Minister Eamon Ryan will continue to engage with his Cabinet colleagues on how that burden should be shared – with agricultural emissions the most controversial issue. […]
Plans to extend DART to Maynooth and M3 Parkway
Iarnród Éireann will lodge plans this week for the extension of the electrified DART network from the Connolly/Spencer Dock area to west of Maynooth and on to the M3 Parkway in Co Meath. The company said it will deliver a more sustainable transport option for a number of communities, such as Maynooth, Leixlip and Castleknock. […]
New digital training scheme launched for SMEs
Google, Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices have partnered to launch a new digital training scheme for SMEs. The ‘You’re the Business’ scheme provides online training and resources for all Irish SMEs to help them get online, to grow their digital footprint and expand internationally. A recent study from Google, developed in partnership with […]
HBFI reports busiest 6 month period for loan approvals
The state agency established to help fund the delivery of new homes grew loan approvals to €1.16bn at the end of June 2022. That was an increase of 38% on the €835 million approved by the end of 2021. It was Home Building Finance Ireland’s busiest ever six-month period based on loan approvals. HBFI was […]
Euro gets boost after ECB supersizes rate hike
The euro advanced against the dollar after Russia resumed gas supplies to Europe and the European Central Bank surprised markets with a 0.5 percentage-point rate hike. The advance by the single currency came on a mixed day for European stocks but a good session on Wall Street, where equities advanced for a third straight day. […]
National Lottery ticket sales exceeded €1bn last year
National Lottery ticket sales exceeded €1 billion last year, up 14.7% on the previous year, according to operator Premier Lotteries Ireland full year results for 2021. For the sixth consecutive year, growth was recorded in the money raised for good causes, which amounted to €304 million euro last year. The company said that approximately 90% […]
Used car asking prices now 64% above pre-pandemic levels
Asking prices for used cars rose 29% in the year to the end of June, new research from DoneDeal has found. According to the listings website, prices being sought for cars are now 63.7% higher than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic began. The rapidly rising costs are being driven by an ongoing supply demand […]
Consumer sentiment hits 21-month low in July
Consumer sentiment has dropped to a 21-month low this month on broad based concerns about the economy. In particular the KBC Bank Ireland consumer sentiment index found consumers were worried about severe financial pressures around their household finances. Overall the index fell from 57.7 in June to 53.7 in July, despite a surprise 2.2 point […]
€5m in funding for new construction technology centre
The Government has announced funding of €5 million over five years for a new construction technology centre, which will accelerate research and innovation within the construction sector. The centre will be based at NUI Galway, and the consortium includes Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, and University College Cork working with the Irish Green Building […]
57% of women in Ireland feel obligated to work while sick compared to 34% of men
A new survey reveals that 57% of women in Ireland feel obligated to work while sick when working remotely, compared with just 34% of men. The survey, from HR technology firm Workhuman, also found that 40% of women in Irish workplaces feel mentally exhausted and drained after the working day compared to 32% of men. […]
Recruitment squeeze felt by 63% of construction firms here
Nearly two thirds of construction companies here are finding it difficult to recruit skilled workers, according to a survey of over 300 firms here conducted by Core Research on behalf of software firm, Autodesk. They put the difficulty down to a lack of career options and negative perceptions about working in the industry, as well […]
Upskilling programme launched for bank staff
A new upskilling programme has been launched to help financial services employees who will be impacted in the coming months by redundancies in the banking sector. As Ulster Bank and KBC prepare to exit the Irish market, the ‘Skills Ignite for Financial Services’ scheme will support workers who wish to develop in-demand skills and improve […]
€9.3m in funding announced for online retail
Over 210 retailers are to receive €9.3m in grants through the latest round of a Government scheme designed to help businesses boost their online presence. The Online Retail Scheme is administered by Enterprise Ireland and is open to retailers who already have a website and a physical store. The grants can be used by businesses […]
Mullingar film studio gets county council approval
A new film studio in the midlands, which has been hailed as “transformative” for the region, has been given planning approval. Westmeath County Council has granted planning permission for the Hammerlake Studios project in Mullingar. The plan to build the film production facility on a 25-acre site at Lough Sheever Business Park is subject to […]
ECB to discuss rate rise of 25 or 50 points on Thursday
European Central Bank policymakers will discuss whether to raise interest rates by 25 or 50 points at their meeting on Thursday to tame record-high inflation, two sources with direct knowledge of the discussion told Reuters. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deliberations are private, said policymakers were also homing in on […]
Hiring rate in first five months 27% higher than 2019
Hiring rates in the first five months of this year were on average 27% higher than the same period in 2019, despite the economic pressures being faced by businesses here. That’s according to the latest IDA Ireland/Microsoft/LinkedIn Labour Market Pulse for the period from January to May, which also shows that the share of digital […]
Business confidence plummets on inflationary pressures
Business confidence here has dropped sharply to its lowest level since October of 2020 as a result of concerns about the impact of strong inflationary pressures on demand, according to the latest Accenture/S&P Global Ireland Business Outlook. This drop in anticipated demand coupled with sharp price increases has also driven predictions of falling profits. Expectations […]
Oil prices extend gains on weak dollar and tight supply
Oil prices have extended gains, propped up by a weaker dollar and tight supplies that offset concerns about recession and the prospect of widespread COVID-19 lockdowns in China again reducing fuel demand. Brent crude futures for September settlement rose 69 cents, or 0.7%, to $101.85 a barrel by early this morning, after a 2.1% gain […]