The head of the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has said its growth figures, which were dubbed ‘leprechaun economics’, do not reflect reality and a new system of measuring the economy is now being developed.

They’re normally running the numbers and crunching statistics. But they were pounding the pavements yesterday to raise money for a homeless charity.

With the release this week of the first batch of reports on Census 2011, the CSO has shone a light on post-boom Ireland. Despite cutbacks and the threat of the internet, the office still provides an essential service, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

THE ranks of the long-term unemployed have grown to over 140,000, the Irish workforce’s highest ever.