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Minimum wage set to increase by 30 cent an hour from February

The National Minimum wage will increase to €10.10 in February, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection has announced. That represents an increase of 30 cent on the current rate of €9.80 per hour. It is estimated that over 127,000 workers would benefit from the increase. Minister Regina Doherty said the Government had decided…

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Signs of rent stabilisation in Dublin and Cork – RTB

Average monthly rents across the country rose by 8.2% during the third quarter of this year. According to the latest quarterly rent index by the Residential Tenancies Board and the ESRI, the average monthly cost of rent nationally is now over €1,200. The report shows that although the average rent for Dublin is up more than 6.5%…

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Work permit changes to alleviate staff shortages in sectors

More chefs from outside the country will be eligible for employment permits allowing them to work in Ireland, as a result of changes announced by Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys today. The move, which follows a review of labour market requirements, is aimed at addressing staff shortages in the hospitality sector. Other…

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Planning permissions for apartments soar over 80% – CSO

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that planning permissions for apartments jumped by 80.2% in the third quarter of this year compared to the same time last year. The CSO said the number of planning permissions granted for homes in the third quarter stood 10,590 – 5,656 of these were for apartments and…

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European new car registrations up 4.5% in November – ACEA

European passenger car registrations rose 4.5% in November, marking the third consecutive month of growth this year, thanks to robust demand in Germany and France and a rebound in demand for VW, Audi and Porsche.  Registrations rose to 1,210,860 million cars in the countries of the European Union and the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA),…

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€6 billion of land sales recorded in the last decade

New figures from property consultants CBRE Ireland show that a total of 73 land sales were completed here during 2019. Those 73 sales totalled more than €1.2 billion. This was down on last year’s record result of almost €1.5 billion from 125 deals. CBRE said the 2019 figures still represented a strong result for the…

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Credit unions facing challenges despite strong reserves

A new report on credit unions show that they continue to face financial challenges in terms of income generation and return on assets due to the low interest rate environment and high cost metrics.  But the report from the Central Bank said that on a positive note, the credit union sector continues to demonstrate a…

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Economy sees GDP growth of 1.7% in third quarter

The economy – as measured by gross domestic product – grew by 1.7% in the third quarter of this year from the second quarter. GDP stood 5% higher than it was a year ago, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show today.  The CSO also said that quarterly GDP growth for the second quarter…

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US and China strike deal to ease growing trade tensions

The US and China agreed to the first phase of a broader trade agreement that will see the US reduce tariffs, and at least temporarily calm fears of an escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies. The deal announced hinges on China increasing purchases of American farm goods such as soybeans and pork,…

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