News

More than half of all the complaints lodged with the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) last year were about banking, with customer service issues the main driver. The FSPO’s Overview of Complaints for 2021 also shows that nearly a quarter of the total complaints received by it related to mortgages. Among them were 250 […]

Members of SIPTU, the country’s largest trade union, will gather in Sligo today for their Biennial Delegate Conference. The union is expected to renew calls for pay increases to reflect the rising cost of living. The conference will run until Thursday with more than 50 motions to be debated and voted on. Today, topics will […]

85% of employers in Ireland are having to contend with skill shortages, according to a new report. The study was carried out by CIPD Ireland, the professional body for HR and Learning & Development. The latest results from the organisation’s “HR Practices in Ireland” study show 36% of employers cite “significant shortages” when it comes […]

European economies face the risk of a shortage of diesel, the preferred fuel for heavy industry, as sanctions on Russian energy threaten to disrupt imports while supply from elsewhere remains limited. Russia is Europe’s largest supplier of diesel and related fuels. It sends over three quarters of a million barrels per day for use in […]

Ireland’s older and poorer populations risk being left behind unless action is taken to address the nation’s digital divide, according to a new report. The 2022 Accenture Digital Index has found that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to an acceleration of the digital divide – the gap between the digitally engaged and disengaged. “The pandemic […]

Ireland has among the highest rates of dependency on imported sources of energy in Europe, although dependency has declined in recent years. This is according to a report on energy security from the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council. The Council has called for an urgent focus on projects to help diversify energy supply sources, as […]

Euro zone business activity has been stronger than expected this month, a survey showed today, although prices also rose at a record pace. This will likely add to pressure on the European Central Bank to raise interest rates. Some of that growth came from a rebound following the lifting of Covid restrictions, and the outlook […]

Consumer sentiment plummeted in March, according to KBC Bank Ireland, in what was the biggest month-on-month drop in confidence since the onset of the pandemic. There was a full ten-point drop in the index bringing it from 77 in February to 67 this month. While not as pronounced as the 34.7 point drop in April […]

The Economic and Social Research Institute has lowered its forecasts for growth in the economy this year and increased its outlook for inflation as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine. In its latest Quarterly Economic Survey, the ESRI said inflation could peak at 8.5% this summer before averaging out across the year at […]

The Economic and Social Research Institute has lowered its forecasts for growth in the economy this year and increased its outlook for inflation as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine. In its latest Quarterly Economic Survey, the ESRI said inflation could peak at 8.5% this summer before averaging out across the year at […]