Tag Archives: COVID19

Flexible work to become a reality for employees in 2022

The right to request flexible work arrangements is set to become a reality this year for Irish workers as the EU’s Work Life Balance Directive must be implemented by the Government by October this year. The EU Directive means that employees who are in a caring role such as parents or carers will have the…

Covid-adjusted jobless rate moves up to 7.5% in December – CSO

The unemployment rate, adjusted to include those on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), rose to 7.5% in December compared to 6.9% in November. The traditional seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate fell from 5.2% or 135,000 people in November to 5.1% or 132,100 people in December, the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show today….

Gloomy outlook for global recovery, World Economic Forum survey finds

Only one in 10 World Economic Forum members surveyed expects the global recovery to accelerate over the next three years, a poll of nearly 1,000 business, government and academic leaders found, with only one in six optimistic about the world outlook. Climate change was seen as the number one danger by respondents in the WEF’s…

Govt to consider reducing back public servants’ hours to pre-July 2013 levels

Thousands of public servants will have their working hours reduced back to lower pre-austerity levels from 1 July, if a recommendation made by an independent body examining the issue is accepted by the Government. Extra working hours were introduced for the public servants under the 2013 Haddington Road Agreement. The mechanism of additional hours was…

Consumer confidence drops, driven by Covid concerns

Irish consumer confidence dropped again in December, as concerns around Covid-19 and the cost of living intensified. The KBC Bank consumer sentiment index dropped to 74.9 from 83.1 in November – its weakest reading since February, indicating a clear deterioration in the mood of Irish consumers. December saw the third largest monthly fall since the…

Government announces expansion of Covid-19 supports

The Government has announced enhanced business support schemes for the hospitality and arts sectors hit by the latest restrictions. This includes reopening the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme to new applicants and a relaxation of the turnover reduction figure for the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme scheme to 40%. There is also an extension of tax warehousing….

Cabinet to discuss changes to Covid business support scheme

The Cabinet will meet this morning where changes to the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) are expected to be discussed. Businesses affected by the latest round of Covid-19 restrictions will be able to avail of the financial supports. The number of businesses that will be able to receive financial assistance is set to be increased…

‘Follow the spirit’ of new Covid guidelines – Holohan

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan has said that the new restrictions beginning today will substantially cut the volume of total social contact across society if people follow “not just the letter but the spirit” of the guidelines. Dr Holohan said that “it is now down to people individually” to confine social engagements to small…

NPHET in new recommendations amid Omicron concern

The Cabinet is expected to meet today to consider the latest advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) in response to the rise of the Omicron variant of coronavirus. NPHET has expressed “exceptional concern” about the impact of Covid-19 and the new variant in its latest advice to Government. The National Public Health…