The Winter 2016 Quarterly Economic Observer was released this morning and it provides the NERI's analysis recent economic trends and the outlook for both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We highlight the signs of decelerating growth in the Republic along with concerns about recent...

The Irish labour market is full of interesting things. What you see and hear on a daily basis is roughly in the following order of coverage starting with the most talked about: Public sector pay issues and associated matters. Number One. Public-private sector pay differences (always the number one...

What is the yardstick by which the progress of countries and societies ought to be measured and judged? This is the question which, for some years now, has acted as the lynchpin behind the many conversations taking place across the globe concerned with whether or not we are measuring what really...

The Republic of Ireland's economy has been on a strengthening arc for the last four years with a narrowing output gap and GDP growth expected to exceed 4% in 2016. The unemployment rate fell to 7.3% in November which is is less than half of the great recession nadir of over 15%. Total employment is...

Did you know that wages – as measured by real average weekly earnings – have not increased since 2008 in the Republic of Ireland ? Never mind the Great Leap forward in GDP last year or the rapid and very welcome growth in employment (continuing to run at an annualised rate of close to 3%). A release...

The Autumn Statement delivered by the new chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond is the first substantial financial statement made by the government since the BREXIT referendum result in June. Naturally the referendum and its consequences featured heavily in the announcements, but it is still...