Archive for November 2024

The rate of employment in the country has increased once again, hitting a new record high, according to the latest Central Statistics Office figures. The Labour Force Survey for the third quarter of the year shows that the estimated employment rate for people aged 15-64 years was 75.3% – the highest rate recorded since the…

The national average cost of rebuilding a home has risen by 6.2% in the last year. That is lower than the 12% increase recorded last year and the 21% seen in 2022. But the new research by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) found that the rate of growth in rebuild costs over the…

The Health Insurance Authority is urging consumers to review their policy and shop around to ensure they are not overpaying while securing the right coverage for their needs as the health insurance renewals period nears. The HIA said that private health insurance now costs €1,712 on average with price increases of 11% so far this…

New research from the Central Statistics Office show that the proportion of people who rate their overall life satisfaction as “high” has increased from 24.4% in 2022 to 28.9% in 2023. A greater proportion of men (32.1%) reported high levels of overall life satisfaction when compared with women (25.9%), the CSO noted. People aged 65…

Consumers spent a total of €1.16 billion in grocery stores in the four weeks to 3 November, making it the biggest sales month of the year so far. New figures from Kantar show that grocery sales jumped 6.4%, boosted by Halloween treats and early Christmas purchases. Grocery inflation stood at 3.3%, down on the same…

The Governor of the Central Bank has said it would be going a bit far to say an ECB interest rate cut next month is in the bag. However, Gabriel Makhlouf also said the evidence would need to be “pretty overwhelming” to consider a 50-basis-point cut at the meeting on 12 December. The Central Bank…

A group of trade unions will today launch its General Election pledge calling on the next government to respect workers’ rights. The ‘Respect at Work’ campaign is backed by SIPTU, the Financial Services Union (FSU), the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) and Mandate. The campaign said it is approaching parties and candidates from across the political…

The latest AA Ireland Fuel Survey reveals a slight increase in petrol and diesel prices for November after three months of fuel price decreases in a row. AA Ireland said that petrol prices have risen by two cents to an average of €1.73 a litre, while diesel prices have increased by a cent to €1.67…

Skills shortages – and the cost of recruiting skilled labour – is the most common concern among tradespeople, according to a new survey. It was cited by 29% of respondents to the Onlinetradesman.com survey – which included builders, plumbers, electricians and landscapers – as their biggest obstacle to their operations and growth. “The issue is…

Wind generation in Ireland was the third highest on record for the month of October, according to new figures from Wind Energy Ireland. The latest figures show that wind energy provided 35% of Ireland’s electricity last month, while solar power and other renewables accounted for 4%. It means that Irish wind farms have generated nearly…