Posts by sean

The OECD has slashed its annual global growth forecast today, warning that US President Donald Trump’s tariffs blitz will stifle the world economy – hitting the US especially hard. After 3.3% growth last year, the world economy is now expected to expand by a “modest” 2.9% in 2025 and 2026, the Paris-based Organisation for Economic…

The country’s manufacturing sector grew at a solid pace in May as strong domestic demand offset a second successive monthly decline in export orders due to subdued sales into the US and Britain, a new survey showed today. AIB’s Manufacturing PMI fell slightly to 52.6 from April’s 53, but was above the 50 threshold indicating…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…