IRISH people took to drowning their sorrows in a bid to escape the faltering economy and bad weather last month.

BAR sales jumped last month as did hardware and clothes sales but shoppers remain cautious about splashing their cash.

INSURANCE costs continued to spiral last month with home and motor premiums increasing as the cost of living jumped 0.7% in the year.

THE construction sector’s decline accelerated in October, with civil engineering leading the plunge, according to the Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index.

BAR sales are down almost 12% in the last 12 months, with new figures showing consumers are still reluctant to spend.

SALES in the retail sector rose 1.3% in August compared with the same month last year, boosted by higher car sales in particular, while clothing and footwear were also ahead.

CONSTRUCTION firms shed more jobs last month as the sector continued to battle through what has been the longest period of decline on record.

The Live Register increased by 6,600 people in May, the largest monthly rise since August of last year.

The opposition launched a fierce attack on Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s Cabinet reshuffle this afternoon after official figures showed more than 13% of the workforce is unemployed.

Business conditions at Irish construction firms worsened again in February, according to new date released today, although there were signs that the rate of deterioration eased since the previous month.

BUILDERS cut staffing levels again in February as figures show construction tender prices fell by 17.2% over the last 12 months.

The Government was today accused of abandoning those on the dole to look after bankers and developers as the unemployment rate hit a high not seen for 15 years.

AN extra 900 people joined the dole queues in November, after the previous month’s figure showed the first decline in the numbers signing on in two years.

CONSUMER spending is stabilising but retailers will still be under significant pressure to offer bargain discounts in the run-up to Christmas, say analysts.

THE ongoing sterling weakness will pose a major threat to the retail sector in the run-up to Christmas with cross-border shopping now costing the economy €430 million a year.

THE construction sector has cut jobs for the 28th month in succession, according to Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index.

THE era of falling prices is coming to an end with the warning that mortgage costs are set to rise and Tesco is pulling the plug on its euro-sterling price parity initiative.

DESPITE one in eight of the country’s eligible workforce being unemployed and with the situation set to deteriorate further, economists claim the economy is now stabilising.

THE cost of living may be plummeting at the fastest rate since the Great Depression but figures reveal the cost of going out, using public transport and insuring your home and car continue to rise.

CONSUMERS, waiting to be hit by budget cuts, continued spending in April as retail sales increased.

THE pace of job cuts in the construction sector has started to slow, although latest figures show there is still a sharp deterioration in business conditions.

THE number of people on the dole has passed 400,000 for the first time and now accounts for one in five of the working population.

WITH the cost of living falling at the fastest rate since the middle of the Great Depression, it appears consumers can look forward to even more price cuts as the supermarket price war intensifies.

CONSUMER prices are set for their third largest decline in the history of the State this year as food and utility costs ease. Prices are set to plunge by 4% to 5% driven by major falls in mortgage interest costs.

THE Irish construction sector continues to shrink rapidly on all fronts and is expected to decline further with almost half of those still engaged in the sector expecting to be engaged in less work this time next year.

A MASSIVE 53% fall in the amount of car sales conducted in February, dragged total retail sales down by just under 21%, on a year-on-year basis, according to new figures published yesterday by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Taoiseach Brian Cowen faced another blistering attack over the handling of the economy today after devastating new figures showed dole numbers rose for the seventh month in a row.

THE rate of people joining the dole queues slowed last month for the first time this year — but the numbers on the Live Register still continue to rise steadily to the projected figure of 500,000 by the end of the year.

ONE in 10 of the country’s 2.2 million labour force will be claiming the dole by September, economists are warning.

The number of people claiming jobless benefits jumped by 71% last year and the total is set to breach the 300,000 barrier in coming weeks, alarming figures showed today.