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Consumer sentiment has dropped to a 21-month low this month on broad based concerns about the economy. In particular the KBC Bank Ireland consumer sentiment index found consumers were worried about severe financial pressures around their household finances. Overall the index fell from 57.7 in June to 53.7 in July, despite a surprise 2.2 point…

The Government has announced funding of €5 million over five years for a new construction technology centre, which will accelerate research and innovation within the construction sector. The centre will be based at NUI Galway, and the consortium includes Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, and University College Cork working with the Irish Green Building…

Asking prices for used cars rose 29% in the year to the end of June, new research from DoneDeal has found. According to the listings website, prices being sought for cars are now 63.7% higher than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic began. The rapidly rising costs are being driven by an ongoing supply demand…

Nearly two thirds of construction companies here are finding it difficult to recruit skilled workers, according to a survey of over 300 firms here conducted by Core Research on behalf of software firm, Autodesk. They put the difficulty down to a lack of career options and negative perceptions about working in the industry, as well…

A new upskilling programme has been launched to help financial services employees who will be impacted in the coming months by redundancies in the banking sector. As Ulster Bank and KBC prepare to exit the Irish market, the ‘Skills Ignite for Financial Services’ scheme will support workers who wish to develop in-demand skills and improve…

A new survey reveals that 57% of women in Ireland feel obligated to work while sick when working remotely, compared with just 34% of men. The survey, from HR technology firm Workhuman, also found that 40% of women in Irish workplaces feel mentally exhausted and drained after the working day compared to 32% of men.…

A new film studio in the midlands, which has been hailed as “transformative” for the region, has been given planning approval. Westmeath County Council has granted planning permission for the Hammerlake Studios project in Mullingar. The plan to build the film production facility on a 25-acre site at Lough Sheever Business Park is subject to…

European Central Bank policymakers will discuss whether to raise interest rates by 25 or 50 points at their meeting on Thursday to tame record-high inflation, two sources with direct knowledge of the discussion told Reuters. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deliberations are private, said policymakers were also homing in on…

Over 210 retailers are to receive €9.3m in grants through the latest round of a Government scheme designed to help businesses boost their online presence. The Online Retail Scheme is administered by Enterprise Ireland and is open to retailers who already have a website and a physical store. The grants can be used by businesses…

Oil prices have extended gains, propped up by a weaker dollar and tight supplies that offset concerns about recession and the prospect of widespread COVID-19 lockdowns in China again reducing fuel demand. Brent crude futures for September settlement rose 69 cents, or 0.7%, to $101.85 a barrel by early this morning, after a 2.1% gain…