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Public-private pay differential ranged from 0.9% to – 6.6% in 2022

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the public-private pay differential on average ranged from 0.9% to a decrease of 6.6% in 2022. The CSO said that trends in the public-private pay differential show that public sector employees on higher incomes are worse off in terms of gross pay in comparison with private […]

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Smurfit Kappa posts 16% drop in first quarter profit

Smurfit Kappa shares rose this morning after its first quarter core profit fell sharply year-on-year but was higher than the final quarter of 2023 when it had signalled a dip in demand for packaging was at an end. Smurfit Kappa, Europe’s largest paper packaging producer, posted a 16% year-on-year fall in core profit to €487m […]

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AIB’s first quarter income up by 18% due to higher interest rates

AIB said its total income increased by 18% in the first quarter of the year on the back of the higher interest rate environment and after what it called “a very strong first quarter performance”. In an interim management statement ahead of its AGM today, AIB said its Net Interest Income was 27% higher in […]

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Glenveagh Properties set to build over 2,700 homes this year

Homebuilder Glenveagh Properties said its forward order book now stand at €963m, up from €805m at the end of February. In a trading statement issued ahead of the company’s AGM in Dublin today, Glenveagh said it was well positioned to deliver over 2,700 new homes across its three business segments in 2024. It noted that […]

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Manufacturing activity deteriorates amid fall in new orders

Activity in the manufacturing sector deteriorated again in April, new data shows. The latest AIB Purchasing Managers Index shows that the fall last month was the sharpest rate of decline in nine months. The headline index dropped from 49.6 in March to 47.6. Readings above 50 indicate overall growth in activity. The drop in the […]

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Trade unions to mark International Workers’ Day with Dublin event

Trade unions will mark May Day today which is celebrated as International Workers’ Day. A rally and march will be held this evening at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin. Ireland’s first ‘Trade Union Week’ began on Monday and includes a series of events to promote union membership. As part of the campaign, the Government […]

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New targets for female representation at senior levels

Balance for Better Business (B4BB), an independent review group established by the Government, has today launched a new strategy, targets and roadmap to improve gender balance at board and leadership level among businesses in Ireland. The group has set a new target for organisations to exceed 40% female representation on boards and leadership teams in […]

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Bank of Ireland raises net interest income guidance on fewer rate cuts

Bank of Ireland has today lifted its net interest income guidance for 2024 to reflect its revised expectations that there will be one fewer round of central bank interest rate cuts this year. The country’s biggest lender said in a trading update that it expects 2024 net interest income to be 3% to 4% lower […]

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Euro zone grows more than expected in Q1 after recession

The euro zone economy grew by more than expected in the first quarter of 2024, buoyed by a return to growth for Germany and strong expansion in Spain, preliminary data from the European statistics agency Eurostat showed today. Gross domestic product increased by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter for a 0.5% year-on-year rise, compared with market expectations that […]

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Inflation rate slows to 1.6% in year to April – flash CSO reading

The latest “flash” estimate of inflation from the Central Statistics Office shows that the annual rate slowed to 1.6% in the year to April from a rate of 1.7% in the year to March. The CSO said this compares to a rate of 2.4% in the EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Price inflation (HICP) for […]

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