NCC: Further reforms needed

Further structural reforms are needed to improve Ireland’s competitiveness, according to the annual report from the National Competitiveness Council.

The council noted that many of the competitiveness gains made over the past few years can be attributed to cyclical factors owing to the end of the recession. The two key structural reforms that need to be implemented include changes to the social welfare system that encourage recipients to return to the workforce.

In its quarterly reviews of the economy during the bailout, the troika also highlighted the need to reform the sheltered sectors and in particular the legal profession.