Archive for September 2024

The Government’s new auto-enrolment pension scheme will begin on 30 September 2025. The new start date was agreed by the Cabinet this week, and revealed by the Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys speaking on RTÉ’s This Week programme. The scheme will mean that 800,000 workers will be automatically added into a private pension scheme,…

The extension of the free schoolbook scheme to the senior cycle is among the measures set to be announced in tomorrow’s Budget, following Government discussions last night. Funding is also set to be provided for 1,500 more special needs assistants in schools. Free public transport will be introduced for the under-9s, in a move long…

Asking prices for homes across the country rose 3.1% between July and September, according to listings website Daft.ie. It brought the typical listed price for a property here to €344,848. That is an increase of 6.2% compared to the same period last year and more than a third more than at the beginning of the…

The number of mortgages approved in August fell by 12.5% when compared to July. New figures from the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) show 4,650 mortgages received approval during the month. While that was down on the previous month, it was up by 2.6% on the same period last year. Of the total, 2,862…

Almost two-thirds of Irish adults have experienced phishing, making Ireland the most phished country in the world, according to new research. Phishing involves the sending of fraudulent emails designed to trick people into disclosing personal information. The Irish rate of phishing is almost twice the global average according to the Worldwide Independent Network of Market…

Consumer sentiment remained broadly unchanged in September when compared to the previous month. The Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Index found that while recent months saw an obvious improvement from the low levels of the previous two years, the upward momentum has stalled. “Irish consumers feel things are not getting notably worse, but there is little…

Older people and people with a disability are set to be eligible for increased housing grants under measures to be signed off by the Cabinet. A review of the housing adaptation grants overseen by Minister of State Alan Dillon has outlined a number of recommendations which would see an increase in grant limits, increases to…

More than a quarter of households remain concerned about inflation, new research has found. That is despite the annual rate of inflation falling back to 1.7%, down more than four percentage points in the last year. After inflation, the Bank of Ireland Savings and Investment Index found the cost of housing and rent was the…

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has said it is “crucially important” the implementation of the Government’s residential zoned land tax proceeds “immediately”. The levy is due to take effect from February next year and in the coming days ministers are to discuss how it can be introduced without affecting active farmers. ESRI research…

Two-thirds of organisations plan to increase salaries in 2025 which is down from the 86% that did so in 2024, according to a new survey. The latest HR Barometer from employment consultants Adare shows that the average planned salary increase next year is 3.6%, close to the 3.7% actual increase in 2024. The survey found…