Posts by sean

A total of 30,330 homes were built in 2024, a decrease of 6.7% on 2023, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office. The latest figures from the CSO show the number of apartments completed in 2024 was 8,763 – a drop of 24% on the previous year. The number of single dwellings built was…

The Irish property investment market is set to record over €3bn of transactions in 2025, according to commercial property specialists CBRE. Its latest report ‘Outlook 2025’ makes a number of predictions for each sector of the Irish property market in the year ahead. Last year, the market recorded over €2.4 billion of transactions, and CBRE…

The UK Business Secretary has left the door open to joining a tariff-free trading scheme with Europe following a meeting with the EU trade commissioner in Davos. Jonathan Reynolds’ meeting with Maros Sefcovic came after the trade commissioner suggested Britain could join the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM), which allows for tariff-free trade of goods across Europe,…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that wholesale electricity prices fell by 6.2% in the month to December but were 53.9% higher compared to December 2023. The CSO said that wholesale electricity prices remain 64.7% lower than the peak that occurred in August 2022. The annual average price of wholesale electricity in 2024…

Property prices rose by 9.4% in the 12-month period to last November, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. The figures indicate a slight moderation in the pace of acceleration, but prices are still increasing and are 16% above their peak during reached during property boom in 2007. The rate of increase…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the number of domestic Building Energy Rating (BER) audits in 2024 came to 153,558, an increase of 7% over the total for 2023. The CSO noted that this was the highest number of BERs issued for any year since 2009. Today’s figures show that the number…

Employers group Ibec has forecast that the economy will continue to expand in 2025 with employment growing by 2.4%. It said domestic demand would grow by 3% this year and by 2% in 2026. The organisation projected that consumer spending will grow by 3.1% while investment will expand by 4.2% this year. Commenting on the…

European Central Bank policymakers are likely breathing a sigh of relief that the new US administration did not impose the blanket trade tariffs some had feared and a rate cut next week now seems like a done deal. US President Donald Trump held back from imposing trade barriers on his first day in office yesterday…

There was “cause for hope” in the new White House administration’s approach to tariffs, Minister of State for Trade, Employment and Enterprise Peter Burke has said. Speaking in Davos where the World Economic Forum is under way, Minister Burke was referring to Howard Lutnick, co-chair of US President Donald Trump’s transition team, saying that talk…

Irish employers have reported the greatest difficulty finding candidates with the right skills in 20 years, according to new research. The annual ManpowerGroup Talent Shortage Survey has recorded the highest skills shortage since the survey began, with 83% of employers saying they are struggling to find candidates. Businesses said that IT and data skills are…