Archive for May 2025

More than two-thirds of job applications are rejected due to a lack of relevant skills, according to new research from hiring platform IrishJobs. The Recruiter & Jobseeker Survey gathered insights from 553 recruiters and 738 jobseekers in Ireland to identify changing attitudes and actions on hiring processes. The study showed that 78% of employers are…

There were 2,922 first-time buyer (FTB) approvals valued at almost €1 billion (€965m) in April, according to the latest figures from the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland’s Mortgage Approvals Report. The report shows the highest April FTB levels since the data series began in 2011. The number of mortgages approved rose by 4.7% month-on-month…

A US federal appeals court has reinstated the most sweeping of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, a day after a trade court had ruled he had exceeded his authority in imposing the duties and had ordered an immediate block on them. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington’s order provided no…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the volume of retail sales rose by 1.1% in April compared to March, while retail sales were 3% higher on an annual basis compared to April 2024. Today’s CSO figures also reveal that the value of retail sales increased by 1.3% in April from March and…

US firms have warned the Federal Reserve that the cost of President Donald Trump’s tariffs will likely be borne by consumers, according to minutes of the bank’s most recent rate decision. Since returning to office in January, Trump has embarked on a stop-start tariff rollout that has unnerved investors and shaken global financial markets. The…

Dublin Airport is expecting almost half a million passengers over the coming bank holiday weekend. The airport is expecting more than 115,000 passengers every day between Friday and Monday, with a total of 480,000 set to pass through its two terminals. The four days between Friday and Monday will see almost 250,000 passengers departing from…

Average weekly earnings surpassed €1,000 in the first three months of this year, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office. Weekly earnings were up 5.6% from €972 in the first quarter of 2024 to €1,026 in the first three months of this year. The figures cover all sectors across the economy excluding agriculture…

Ireland has gone backwards in its attempts to achieve its greenhouse gas emissions targets, according to an updated analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The latest greenhouse gas emissions projections from the EPA said emissions could fall by up to 23% by 2030 if every climate policy and measures currently planned by the Government…

IDA Ireland sought the views of Irish-based pharmaceutical companies on the EU’s draft list of retaliatory measures to US tariffs earlier this year as part of the Government’s response to the European Commission on the proposals. The European Union published a list of imports from the US which could face tariffs as part of the…

The euro could become a viable alternative to the dollar, earning the 20-nation bloc immense benefits, if governments could only strengthen the bloc’s financial and security architecture, ECB President Christine Lagarde said today. Unnerved by erratic US economic policy, global investors have been reducing their exposure to dollar assets in recent months but many have…