Consumer optimism around household finances remains strong but there are economic worries ahead in 2019.

Concerns over a hard Brexit and the world economy have seen Irish consumer confidence slip to its lowest point in almost four years.

The number of job vacancies are up in 23 counties across the country, according to the latest IrishJobs.ie index for the third quarter of this year.

The Irish construction sector is continuing to grow, according to the latest figures from Ulster Bank for August.