NERI Seminar: QEO Autumn 2013
Presentation of the Autumn 2013 NERI Quarterly Economic Observer, September 18th 2013.
Monday Blog: Northern Ireland economy
The annual Northern Ireland Economic Conference took place yesterday in Belfast. Typically it is one of the main annual events in Northern Ireland where senior policy makers, academics and business interests gather to debate and consider the major economic issues confronting us. While the balance of...
Irish labour costs amongst lowest in Western Europe
Ireland's labour costs in the business economy continue to be amongst the lowest in Western Europe. Labour costs differ from wages in that they also include other costs faced by employers such as PRSI. Therefore labour costs are a far more relevant way to compare competitiveness across countries...
Understanding Earnings - a key context for policy formation
As we move towards another austerity budget (October 2013) it is useful to consider Government's choices in the context of the structure of earnings. Despite its relevance, limited attention tends to be given to the distribution of earnings and income in the formation of policy options and decisions...
A broader view of labour market statistics in Northern Ireland
The unemployment rate in Northern Ireland fell below that of the UK for the 3 months to the end of June this year. This is welcome news, but as with all economic and labour market data, a quick glance never reveals the true story. While the numbers unemployed fell by 6,000, the numbers employed only...
New Report on Republic’s Income Distribution
The latest NERI Research inBrief, entitled Income Distribution, Pre-distribution and Re-distribution: latest data for the Republic of Ireland, provides the latest information on income distribution in the Republic of Ireland. Pre-distribution, the direct income distribution reflects a large...
Reforming Tax Credits in Budget 2014
Taxation options are a key context for the forthcoming Budget (October). However, given the distortionary effect of any taxation change, and the fragility of the domestic economy, any choices around raising additional tax revenues are challenging. These challenges are magnified given the notable...
Income: The Gender Divide
There are many measures examining differences in various socio-economic characteristics among men and women. In general, women are better educated, healthier, live longer but earn less - factors which in themselves point towards gaps in societal equality for both sexes. Focusing just on income, it...
Monday Blog: We need a change of course and we need it now
While caution is always advisable in examining the latest quarterly data, the release by the Central Statistics Office of the latest quarterly national accounts was something of a wake-up call to those eager for news of a recovery. The Republic of Ireland is in a deep stagnation. The downturn has...
Employment increases, incomes squeezed
Employment figures for the UK published today show a small return to growth in employment in the last three months to April this year. The increase in employment has been mainly due to a large increase in employment among older workers, many of pension age, and it is not clear whether this is by...