A new platform aimed at addressing skills gaps in the workforce and wider economy is being launched today. MicroCreds.ie has been developed by the Irish University Association in conjunction with a number of universities offering hundreds of short, flexible courses with university-accreditation. MicroCreds partner universities have developed courses in key skills areas including sustainability, digital…

New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the number of new electric cars licensed has increased by 65% from 8,309 in the first half of 2022 to 13,701 in the first half of 2023. The CSO said that in the first six months of this year, 25,446 of the new cars licensed were…

Asking prices for homes across the country were 2.2% higher between April and June than they were during the same period last year, as the market began to show signs of stabilising. The MyHome.ie quarterly house price report shows that during the period, the national median price sought for a home was €325,000, an increase…

The three coalition leaders and Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien will unveil the latest progress report on the Government’s “Housing For All” plan. The data relates Q2, from April to June this year. It shows building started on 12,987 new homes in the first five months of 2023, up 7% when compared to the same…

A massive €783m was paid last year in unpublished tax settlements involving close to 55,000 separate companies and members of the public. A total of €665m was paid out by companies in 35,684 separate settlements, an average of around €19,000 each. A further €103m had to be given to Revenue by individual taxpayers and members…

The ECB has raised interest rates at every meeting over the past year and promised another hike this month The ECB has raised interest rates at every meeting over the past year and promised another hike this month Underlying inflation pressures, a key focus for the European Central Bank, are finally easing across the euro…

Construction activity in Ireland increased in June for the first time since September of last year, albeit slightly. New data from the BNP Paribas Real Estate Ireland Construction Purchasing Managers Index shows new orders and employment both continued to expand during the month. They also did so at their quickest pace since March. Inflation also…

Retail sales volumes in the 20 nations sharing the euro currency were unchanged from April and were 2.9% lower year-on-year. That compared with average forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists of a 0.2% monthly rise and a 2.7% decline from a year earlier. Consumption has been sluggish as real incomes fall and households are…

The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has calculated that the Government plans to increase core spending next year by €5.5 billion, some €250 million more than set out in the Summer Economic Statement published yesterday. In a series of tweets, the Council said this would see spending rise by 6.4% and not the 6.1% in the…

One in three people in Ireland say they are just about getting by financially, a new report conducted on behalf of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) suggests. More than 1,500 people were surveyed for the study, which is the first in a series of reports on financial wellbeing in Ireland. The study and…