Archive for June 2024

The Health and Safety Authority carried out almost 10,000 proactive workplace inspections last year, according to the authority’s annual report. The HSA conducted 83 investigations into fatal accidents, of which 43 were deemed work-related. Of the 43 work-related fatalities reported, the majority occurred in agriculture, which accounted for 20 deaths, and construction, which accounted for…

Annual Government spending that is dependent on age will be €16bn higher by 2050 than it is today because of Ireland’s ageing population, new research has found. The analysis, conducted by the Department of Finance, found by the middle of the decade, annual age-related expenditure will have risen from 22% of Modified Gross National Income…

Eight out of ten employees have used artificial intelligence in the workplace, according to a new survey. The FRS Recruitment Employment Insights Report shows that almost half of employees believe AI will impact or replace their job in the future, a figure which represents almost double the number who held that view when the same…

There are calls for careful planning around the switch-off of Ireland’s old copper broadband network amid warnings that many devices are still reliant on the system. Broadband network operator SIRO has conducted an analysis which shows that house and security alarms, medical and security monitors, lifts, landline and emergency phones, car park barriers and retail…

Prices sought for homes across the country rose by an average of 3.8% between April and June when compared to the previous quarter, new data from property listings website Daft.ie shows. The rise is the largest quarter-on-quarter gain since mid-2020. The increases brought to €340,398 the average advertised price for a home in Ireland. That…

Ireland has dropped two places from last year in a key measure of international competitiveness. The country was ranked fourth of 67 economies examined by the Institute of Management Development (IMD) World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024, down from second last year. However, when compared to countries in the eurozone, Ireland came out on top as the…

Prices paid by Irish consumers were the second highest in the EU last year, according to new official data. Irish prices were 42% higher than the EU average, according to Eurostat, just behind the 43% recorded in Denmark. Lowest price levels were registered in Bulgaria and Romania, the price comparison survey shows. The data also…

An increase in labour capacity in the construction sector may be needed if the number of houses that work has begun on this year are to be delivered. That is according to Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) which says that between January and April, 30,138 units were commenced. That compares with 32,800 in the…

The National Asset Management Agency remains on track to wind down completely by the end of next year. But the Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has confirmed that “some residual assets will remain unresolved” after the end of 2025, and that he will be proposing a new bill to ensure the NTMA manages these assets…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that 6.3 million foreign visitors departed Ireland on overseas routes in 2023. Overall, the visitors spent €7.3 billion on their trips. Of this €1.9 billion was spent on fares, €0.3 billion on prepayments – including car hire, pre-booked tickets and other non-accommodation items paid for in advance…