Employment up for over 35s, but younger workers still losing jobs and leaving
The latest labour market data (released on 26 November 2013) is generally positive in terms of employment, but slightly negative in terms of earnings. However, strange patterns are emerging in terms of what age groups are getting the new jobs. Overall unemployment is down to 12.6% from 14.3% a year...
Monday Blog: Are we over-spending?
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) periodically publishes comparative data on a wide range of economic and social areas from education to pensions to overseas aid. In its latest Government at a Glance there is a wealth of data on many aspects of public service and...
Average Incomes – falling back to 2005 levels
Income levels, whether for individuals or households, are far from perfect measures of progress and well-being. However, they offer one insight into the experience of recent years for households across the Republic. In particular, trends in disposable income (income after taxes and welfare payments)...
Are wages the problem for the hospitality sector?
On 30th October water restrictions will be imposed in Dublin and other parts of Leinster. It was reported in The Irish Times that there was 'real anger' amongst business owners as water restrictions are imposed from 8pm. However the Restaurants Association of Ireland previously described itself as...
Low Pay &Low Income: some insights on ‘The Working Poor’
Earlier this year Eurostat, the EU Statistics Agency, released data on the number of low-paid workers in Ireland and across the EU. Their analysis defines low-earnings in relative terms measured as those earning two thirds or less of the national median gross hourly earnings. Median earnings are the...
Northern Ireland Discretionary Income to fall by 20%
Discretionary income is the income that households have left over after taxes and spending on essential household necessities like accommodation, food and fuel. The report therefore captures the falling income in Northern Ireland and the rising cost of living. In Particular over the last five years...
Monday Blog: Assessing the impact of Budget 2014
An economist was once asked to assess the impacts of the French Revolution of 1789 to which she replied 'it is too early to say yet'. Budget 2014 may very well fall into this category. In some ways like an impressionist painting in the Art Gallery the viewer has to stand back and ponder it all. Much...
Monday Blog: Is it really €2.5 billion ?
Having spent 5 years now in the austerity trenches another few hundred yards seems surmountable especially when the casualities are counted as €2.5 billion instead of €3.1 billion in 'fiscal adjustments' (cuts to spending or increases in tax neither of which is nice). But, €2.5 billion is still €2.5...
Long-term unemployment stable as a share of total unemployment
The share of long-term unemployed in the Republic of Ireland, as a share of total unemployment, has remained stable. Over the past year unemployment has be trending downward due to a combination of job creation, migration, and statistical alterations made by the Central Statistics Office. If the...
Child Poverty - North &South
One in every five children on the island of Ireland lives in a household with an income below the poverty line. In the Republic, the latest CSO data suggests 18.8% of children live in poverty. In Northern Ireland, 22% of children are in poverty. In both, the trend over time has been one of slow...