Archive for January 2021

Job postings for the final quarter of last year were 23% lower than the same time in 2019, according to figures published by e-recruitment platform IrishJobs. Despite being in the grip of a third wave of Covid-19 cases, the jobs index – which analyses quarterly vacancy data – indicates that Ireland’s employment market is showing positive signs…

Europe is too vulnerable to the global power of the dollar and must ensure the international standing of its euro currency to challenge US dominance, the EU executive has said. The European Commission made its pitch in a plan that sets out ways to help build the power of the euro and chip away at…

Residential property prices rose on an annual basis for the first time in six months in November after disruption from the initial Covid-19 lockdown of the economy halted seven years of unbroken annual growth.  New Central Statistics Office show that residential property prices increased by 0.2% nationally in the year to November – the first…

The volume of cargo passing through Dublin Port in the last three months of 2020 rose by 7.6% as pre-Brexit stockpiling, Christmas trading and a bounce caused by a relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions converted into higher demand for goods.  Across the year as a whole though, the volume of goods handled by the port fell 3.4%,…

The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation has outlined nine key policies which it says are needed to safeguard the industry as it continues to deal with the harsh impact of the Covid-19 restrictions.  The tourism industry here took an 85% hit in revenue last year with the loss of 160,000 jobs due to Covid-19. The Irish…

A senior Government official has said there is no reason to expect there will be any significant shortages in goods because of ongoing post-Brexit supply chain challenges.  Declan Hughes, an Assistant Secretary in the Indigenous Enterprise Unit in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said there may have been – and may be in…

Some 460,000 people will receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week – an increase of over 15% in the last seven days, according to the Department of Social Protection. The 62,715 rise in claims reflects the re-introduction of tighter public health restrictions and more business closures as the prevalence of Covid-19 has risen in recent…

Chartered estate agents say they are struggling to meet demand for property, especially from first time buyers. A survey of 800 agents, carried out by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, found that over two thirds predicted property price increases in the year ahead with 24% expecting prices to remain the same and 8% anticipating…

A new online portal for those hoping to upskill or retrain is being launched by the Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris today. The portal is described as a “one stop shop for businesses, employees or unemployed persons”. It outlines the third level options available to them, including short part-time courses right up to full time third…

The Covid-19 pandemic had a big impact on company formations last year, with the number of new firms established in 2020 hitting a four year low. In total 21,924 new businesses were registered over the 12 months. In comparison to 2019, this represents a fall of 4%, the data from CRIFVision-net shows. “The correlation between this…