Full employment predicted to return

THE prospect of full employment is on the horizon once again after the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) issued an upbeat assessment of the economy yesterday.

But it also warned that a fall-off in the level of new home building would take its toll on growth levels in the future.

The Government-sponsored think tank said the economy would benefit from favourable global conditions and revised its estimate for GDP growth for the year upwards from 4.6% to 5.2%.