ISME encourages Irish consumers to support their local economy by shopping local this Christmas


The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) has said Irish shoppers should support their local economy by shopping at local SMEs and buy Irish quality products. They have asked consumers to consider the economic value of their purchases and the effect that local shopping can have on local job creation by keeping money circulating […]

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Survey shows 97% of Irish firms are planning on increasing salaries in 2016


A new survey carried out by consultants Mercer forecasts a rise by over 2% in Irish salaries in 2016. Mercer surveyed 135 organisations and 97% said they were planning on increasing salaries in the next year. Firms in the life sciences, hi tech and services industries are forecasting the largest increase of between 2.5% and […]

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68% of Irish companies plan to invest in 2016


The PwC 2015 SME Pulse Survey has been launched today. It is carried out amongst Ireland’s SME community defined as having less than 250 employees and is the second year of the survey. The survey highlights that fewer SMEs when compared to last year expect overall costs to increase in the year ahead. The top […]

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Survey shows half of Irish people couldn’t survive Christmas without boradband


A new research released today by Irish telecoms provider, Pure Telecom shows half of people claiming they couldn’t survive Christmas without broadband or internet. Furthermore, 85% of people said they will purchase at least one present online, while the average person expects to buy six presents online. In total, Irish shoppers will spend €852 million […]

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85 per cent of Irish homes are now connected to the internet


New CSO figures show 85 per cent of homes are now connected to the internet and 90 per cent of under 30s connect online daily. The latest Information Society statistics from the Central Statistics Office estimate that 85 per cent of households have access to the internet, up 3 per cent on 2014. Households that […]

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Ireland Will Need To Triple Available Wireless As Mobile Data Usage Jumps 500%


Accroding to ComReg, data usage on Irish mobile networks increased by nearly 500% between 2011 and 2015 and around 82% of all Irish mobile phones users now carry smartphones. ComReg predicts that mobile data usage in Ireland will increase to 33 times today’s levels by 2035. This means in order to keep up, an additional […]

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Euro Zone Business Growth Waning In December Despite More Price Cuts


Today, a new survey showed Euro zone businesses ended the year on a glum note with growth slowing despite more price cutting, suggesting the European Central Bank’s loose monetary policy is still not having much effect. The ECB eased policy again earlier this month, cutting its deposit rate and extending an asset-buying programme. Markit’s Composite […]

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Fastest Rise In Employment In Northern Ireland For 14 Months


A new report released by Ulster which looked at data from the Ulster Bank Northern Ireland shows a general pick-up in growth momentum. Output, new orders and employment all rose at faster rates than in the previous month, while backlogs of work increased for the first time since August. The headline seasonally adjusted Business Activity […]

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