Archive for August 2023

New figures from the Central Statistics Office figures show that the country’s unadjusted exports increased by €1.8 billion to €19.5 billion in June compared with the same time last year. When seasonally adjusted, exports of goods grew by more than €2.4 billion compared with May, the CSO said. Today’s figures show that unadjusted imports for…

Growing and serious delays in the conveyancing process are leading to property sales falling through, estate agents are reporting. A survey conducted by the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV) has found that four out of every five agents say they have seen sales fail because of the problem. 26% said it occurred frequently,…

The Irish economy will continue to outperform its EU peers, according to the Mastercard Economics Institute, as consumer fundamentals remain strong. It said Irish consumers have been relatively resilient despite the huge inflation shock. A tight labour market with strong employment growth and historically low unemployment at 3.8% in June has supported the economy. Mastercard…

The Government has announced plans for nine new apprenticeship programmes in the public service. If realised, the proposals will lead to the doubling of apprenticeship places in the public service including local authorities over the next two years. Currently there are around 373 such apprenticeships in operation, up 103 since 2021. The development of a…

After having returned to growth in June, construction activity in Ireland saw a renewed decline in July, after the BNP Paribas Real Estate Purchasing Managers’ Index. It also highlighted the first fall-off in new orders in six months. John McCartney, Director & Head of Research at BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland, said the decline in…

The number of passengers using commercial bus services in Ireland rose last year by 84%, according to new figures from the National Transport Authority (NTA). The report shows there were almost 19 million passenger journeys on licensed public bus services in 2022, but that is still well below the 30 million seen in 2019, before…

New figures today show that gas demand decreased by 20% in July compared to the same month last year, and by 8% when compared to June. Gas Networks Ireland said that gas demand fell by 46% in the construction sector, by 32% in the large office sector and by 31% in the education sector. Gas…

The Government body responsible for arranging power supply for state agencies could not even get companies to bid to provide electricity because of “extreme volatility” in energy prices last year. The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) tried to run a second tender competition, even making changes to the contract to encourage a “more positive market…

Advertised rents across the country increased by 2.4% between April and June, when compared to the first three months of the year. According to property listings website Daft.ie, the average market rent nationally in the second quarter stood at just under €1,800. It means rents sought in the open market are now 10.7% higher than…