Archive for December 2024

Bank of Ireland said it was seeing an increase in spending on its customers’ debit and credit cards as the countdown to Christmas is in full swing. The bank’s latest debit and credit card spending shows there has been a 30% increase in spending in early December compared to the same time last year. It…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show a 25% decrease in the number of electric cars licensed for the first time during the first 11 months of this year compared to the same time in 2023 – continuing the trend of the last few months. The CSO said that 15% of all new cars…

Almost three quarters of Irish employers plan to recruit for permanent roles in 2025, according to new research, an 11% decline compared to 2024. The report, which was commissioned by recruitment firm Hays Ireland, found that 57% of Irish employees said that they are planning to find employment in a company that offers remote working…

Power generated from wind farms met 32% of the country’s electricity demand over the first 11 months of 2024, new figures from Wind Energy Ireland shows. Wind Energy Ireland’s latest monthly wind energy report shows that despite a drop in wind power generation compared to previous Novembers, strong winds during the second half of last…

Confidence in the manufacturing sector remains steady, with 70% of firms expressing a positive outlook at both national and enterprise level. That’s according to this year’s Manufacturing in Ireland report by Ibec, entitled,”Facing Forward: Manufacturing Confidence Amidst Evolving Challenges”. Challenges persist, however, particularly rising operational costs related to wages, raw materials, and energy. Despite these…

Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) could add up to €148 billion to Ireland’s annual GDP by 2038, according to a new report from Accenture. The research found that the technology could also deliver major productivity uplifts across the private and public sectors. Industries such as life sciences and financial services could see productivity gains of…

Consumers in Ireland expect to spend around 14% more on average this year on Christmas than they did in 2023. New research from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) found on average, those surveyed expect to spend €1,177 over the festive period, up from €1,030 last year. One in four consumers said they anticipate…

New research from hiring platform IrishJobs shows that workers in the construction industry were among the most in-demand professions in 2024. It comes as the sector continues to face a growing skills shortage. Site managers were the most sought-after profession by employers in 2024, with demand growing 39% year-on-year. According to the research, the five…

The domestic economy expanded by 3.1% in the first nine months of this year, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. The figures show personal consumption grew by 2.4% and wages to employees rose by 3% in the first nine months of the year, compared to same period a year earlier. Today’s…