News

A new survey has found that four out of every five adults think the Government should introduce new measures to improve the supply of affordable housing here. The research, carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes on behalf of employers’ group Ibec, also found that a third of respondents would like to be able to buy […]

The numbers of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment (PUP) this week has fallen by a further 29,174 to 333,993. In total €102m will be paid out to recipients of the PUP. This is on top of the further 177,969 who were on the Live Register at the end of April, the Department of […]

The Central Bank of Ireland will begin a major review of its mortgage lending rules next month, the first since the measures were introduced in 2015. The review will consider the effectiveness of rules, whether they have achieved their aims and the evolution of the housing and mortgage markets since their inception. It comes amid […]

Gas demand for power generation reached its highest level in six months in April as wind generation fell to its lowest in nine months, new figures show today. Gas Networks Ireland said that over 53% of Ireland’s electricity demand was met by the national gas network, a 4% rise on March. Wind’s contribution to the […]

Guidelines for the reopening of the hospitality sector are expected to be published today. They have been drawn up by Fáilte Ireland ahead of Friday’s Cabinet meeting which will look at a further easing of Covid-19 restrictions in June and July. The guidelines are expected to say that tables will have to be a metre […]

Unemployment could end up exceeding 390,000 when the pandemic ends – a higher rate than at the peak of the last recession, according to the Social Justice Ireland research body. Its latest Employment Monitor also shows that over a fifth of people whose jobs have been impacted by Covid-19 do not expect to return to […]

Publicans have called for indoor trading to resume no later than Thursday July 1. The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland said that after “sacrificing” their businesses for over 15 months, now is the time for Government to confirm that pubs can fully reopen by the first week in July in time for the traditional start of […]

A pioneer of remote work, IBM installed remote terminals in employees’ homes as early as the 1980s, and by 2009, when the idea of remote work was still a novelty for most, 40% of IBM’s global workforce worked at home. The technology company saved about $100 million in the US annually as a result of […]

Consumer confidence hit a 23-month high this month, according to KBC Bank Ireland’s latest consumer sentiment index. The index rose to 85.8 in May from 77.9 in April, as the Covid-19 virus incidence declined and the vaccination rollout picked up pace. It now stands at its strongest level since June 2019, when it was at […]

The Economic and Social Research Institute has said “sizeable tax increases in the years ahead” will be needed to fund public services. In a paper published today, the think-tank said an over-reliance on corporate tax receipts and changes to motor tax means alternative sources of revenue will have to be found. Even before the pandemic, […]