News

One third of hybrid workers struggle to disconnect and one quarter feel demotivated or uninspired, according to new research from Microsoft Ireland. The ‘Work Trends Index’ also reveals that almost a quarter of hybrid workers feel removed from the company culture and senior leadership. A total of 44% of workers agreed it was harder to…

The Government has yet to receive an indication from the European Commission that it will give Ireland and other countries flexibility to reduce VAT on energy. The Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe have held discussions over recent weeks with the Commission but it is understood a reduction in VAT may not…

Revenue has said it has seen significant engagement from the property owners it contacted in relation to their overdue Local Property Tax return. Last month, Revenue confirmed that over the course of a number of weeks, it would contact property owners who had not yet filed a LPT return for the 2022 – 2025 valuation…

Chair of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council Sebastian Barnes has said inflation is likely to be at around 7% when figures are released today and will probably peak at about 8% in the summer but is expected to go back down to 3% next year. The Central Statistics Office is due to publish inflation figures…

The public finances recorded a surplus at the end of March of €200m, according to the latest Exchequer figures published by the Department of Finance. This compares to a deficit of €4.2 billion recorded at the end of March 2021, which means an improvement of €4.3 billion. This is based on continuing strong levels of…

New Central Statistics Office figures show that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for March rose to 5.5% from a rate of 5.2% in February. The March jobless rate of 5.5% was down from a rate of 7.7% the same month last year. The CSO said that as the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) scheme has ceased,…

The Central Bank has revised its forecasts for growth in the economy downwards, due to higher inflation and the impact on the war in Ukraine on the global economy. In its quarterly bulletin, the bank says inflation this year could peak at 8% and will average out at 6.5% for the year as a whole.…

Next month’s planned increase in the Carbon Tax would be “offset” so there would not be additional costs for householders, the Taoiseach has told the Dáil. The tax will increase the cost of gas by €1.40 per month, while oil users will see an increase of €1.50 a month. Micheál Martin defended the Government’s position…

More than one in five workers did not take any annual leave in 2021, according to a new study from the Central Statistics Office. The CSO’s “Personal and Work-Life Balance Survey” reveals that the most common barrier to taking paid leave was being short staffed. For workers with children who said there were barriers to…

Euro zone business growth got a boost last month from the re-opening of economies following the Omicron coronavirus variant, according to a new survey. But the survey also showed that soaring energy costs and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threaten the recovery. S&P Global’s final composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), seen as a good guide to…