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RTÉ is the most trusted news source for Irish consumers, according to the annual Reuters Digital News Report, with 78% of respondents saying they trusted the service. Overall, trust in news media increased over the past year and there was an increase in the number of people watching television news during the Covid-19 pandemic. The…

Euro zone business growth accelerated at its fastest pace in 15 years this month as the easing of more lockdown measures and the unleashing of pent-up demand drove a boom in the bloc’s dominant services industry. When the coronavirus was spreading rapidly, governments imposed strict restrictions, encouraging citizens to stay home and forcing much of…

The number of people receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment has dropped below 250,000 for the first time this year, new figures from the Department of Social Protection show. 244,197 people are receiving the PUP this week, the lowest level since October 2020 and a decrease of over 23,000 over the last seven days. The drop…

Consumer confidence is at a two year high, according to the latest KBC Bank Ireland consumer sentiment index. While the monthly reading of 87.2 for June is only marginally higher than the May figure of 85.8, the increase was enough to push confidence to a 24 month high. The reading for this month pushes the…

A new pilot programme for employers to test the effectiveness of a four-day working week for staff with no loss of pay is being launched today. The six-month experiment is being organised by the Four Day Week Ireland campaign, which claims it can deliver positive results for business and work/life balance for employees. “In the…

The interest bill on the national debt will fall below €3.5 billion this year, despite an increase in the overall level of debt. This will be less than half the record interest of almost €8 billion paid in 2013. The General Government Debt stood at €219.5 billion at the end of 2020. The average interest…

Younger people are more likely to suffer from financial hardship when Covid-19 State supports are ceased, according to new research published by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). In its latest publication, the ESRI also said that the estimated average income loss for households was more than halved as a result of pandemic payments.…

The Chair of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has said that politicians need to explain how they would afford to build 40,000 houses a year and retain the €4 billion that was put into the health during the pandemic. Sebastian Barnes said the money would have to come from increased taxation or through finding savings…

With almost two thirds of those under the age of 25 who are not in education unemployed, the National Youth Council of Ireland is warning that the pandemic could have a ‘scarring effect’ on the career and employment prospects of young people. The Covid adjusted youth unemployment rate stands at 61.8%, with many young people…

New figures from the Central Bank show that the number of homeowners in mortgage arrears for more than 90 days fell to 5.2% at the end of March, from 5.3% three months earlier. The number of home mortgage accounts in arrears fell by 2,838 in the first three months of the year, mainly as a…