Labour costs in accommodation and food sector below EU15 average
Labour costs in the accommodation and food sector are below the average of western European countries. Labour costs include wages, but also employers PRSI, which is far lower in Ireland than most western European countries. In the latest edition of the NERI's Quarterly Economic Facts, indicator 3.1b...
Alternative Fiscal Pathways
External event contribution Public sector deficit reduction has become an overriding concern and preoccupation of policy-makers across Europe. The situation in many countries is acute given the high level of general government debt and the continuing high level of government deficits half a decade into the current economic...
Working Poor are the largest group experiencing poverty
One in every seven of the Irish population (15.8%) lives on an income which is less than the official poverty line. Given a population of approximately 4.58 million people this implies that almost 725,000 live at risk of poverty. In the latest edition of the NERI's Quarterly Economic Facts document...
Social Protection and Ireland Crisis
External event contribution Given Ireland's current situation, there are real challenges for the current and future shape of our Social Protection model. This presentation, considers where things stand given the current crisis and briefly reviews the challenges that lie ahead in both the short-term and long-term. The paper was...
Three-quarters of earners have incomes below €50,000
Despite its relevance to various public policy issues, information on the levels and distribution of earnings in the Republic of Ireland is limited. Over the next year the NERI plans to address this deficit with research examining incomes and earnings in Ireland based on data from the CSO's Survey...
Article highlights income in Ireland
An article in the current edition of the CPSU's Aontas Magazine by Dr Micheál Collins (NERI) highlights the most recent CSO data on income in Ireland. In particular, the article notes the CSO's findings on the distribution of disposable income - the money households have in their pocket to spend...
Average household incomes fall to 2006 levels
The impact of the recession has been pronounced on the domestic economy. An insight into its impact on households can be established using the latest income data from the CSO's Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC). In the latest edition of the NERI's Quarterly Economic Facts, indicator 4.3a...
Implementing a Site Value Tax for Ireland
External event contribution Abstract Ireland's Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the EU/IMF requires government to introduce a recurring annual property tax from 2012. While the MoU has not specified the precise form this new taxation measure will adopt, commitments in the National Recovery Plan 2011-2014 and Fine Gael...
Financing for Development: Tobin Taxes and National Tax Systems
External event contribution This paper contributed to a seminar entitled: Financing for Development: Tobin taxes, national tax systems and international tax transparency. The session considered the challenges associated with the need for developing countries to identify and develop sustainable revenue sources which can be used...
There are 28.3 unemployed people for every vacancy
In searching for solutions to the unemployment crisis, it can be tempting to look for cheap solutions to solve the problem. One idea is that if we cut social welfare, then the unemployed would have an incentive to look for work. As shown by indicator 2.6 of the Quarterly Economic Facts, Eurostat...