Archive for August 2022

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the unemployment rate rose slightly in August, rising to 4.3% from the 21-year low of 4.2% a month earlier. The jobless rate has bounced up and down on a monthly basis this year but the falls have been greater in a tightening labour market and reduced…

The competition watchdog has said it is concerned by the impending increase in the concentration levels of the retail banking sector in Ireland as a result of the exits of KBC Bank Ireland and Ulster Bank. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said that while non-bank lenders have brought some new products to the…

Euro zone inflation rose to another record high this month, beating expectations and solidifying the case for further big European Central Bank rate hikes even before prices peak near the turn of the year. Consumer price growth in the 19 countries sharing the euro currency rose to 9.1% in August from 8.9% a month earlier.…

US football analytics company Pro Football Focus (PFF) has announced its expansion into Europe with a diversification of its core products to service the US and European soccer market with its first club-focused product set to launch next month. The expansion is expected to create 21 remote full time and 175 seasonal analyst roles in…

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action will hold a hearing today on energy security amid growing concern over the supply of electricity. Committee Cathaoirleach Green Party TD Brian Leddin said there are now “…fears of supply restrictions and even blackouts this winter”. The energy crisis in Europe has intensified in recent weeks,…

Businesses are being advised to act early if they need to establish new banking arrangements in the months ahead. With Ulster Bank and KBC Bank Ireland leaving the market here, thousands of individuals and businesses are being given six months to close their accounts with the departing banks and move their custom to another institution.…

Public sector pay talks are due to resume today at the Workplace Relations Commission. Talks ended without agreement in June after unions and staff associations rejected a 5% pay increase over two years saying it fell far short of inflation. The Government defended the offer saying that the increases would come on top of a…

Half of prospective home buyers say the rise in the cost of living has affected their ability to buy a property, according to new research by property website MyHome.ie. The survey of almost 3,000 people carried out in August shows that inflation is having a significant effect on the homebuying, rental and home renovation markets.…

There was a slight improvement in confidence among consumers and businesses in August, according to the latest Economic Pulse from Bank of Ireland. However, the uplift in mood was from a very low base and the overall Pulse reading sits at well below where it was last year. Consumer confidence remains subdued at just under…

A senior research officer with the ESRI has said nobody can say for certain that power blackouts can be avoided this winter, adding that if there are to be interruptions to demand, they will certainly happen at peak times. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Dr Muireann Lynch said supply on the system has been the…