WORKERS have been told they can forget about wage increases this year as the rate of inflation drops to -1.7%.

ONE of great mysteries of modern times is why the Government and, indeed, the employers, place such store in the partnership process.

THE rate of inflation is expected to fall sharply over the coming months after hitting the lowest level in 11 years in December.

SOME key figures in the latest quarterly commentary from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) confirms just how far off the rails the economy has gone.

Irish business has been hit hardest by the country’s recession, official figures revealed today.

THE rate of inflation fell by 0.3% in October to 4%, its lowest level in two years and the expectation is that it will go as low as 1%, or even 0%, by the end of next year.

Pat McArdle, Chief Economist at Ulster Bank Group has said that the Minister for Finance's forecast for economic growth "looks optimistic", and warns that tax revenue will be lower than expected next year.

The Government today decided to rush forward the Budget by almost two months to October 14 in light of the rapidly deteriorating economic situation.

The construction industry suffered a further drop in activity last month, according to a new Ulster Bank survey.

LOWER food and clothing prices pushed inflation to its lowest level in six months, falling from 5% in June to 4.4% last month.

HIKES in the cost of food and clothing pushed Ireland’s rate of inflation to 4.8% last month from 4.3% in January.

PRE-CHRISTMAS sales helped boost retail sales in December and the initial outlook for 2008 looks reasonably well, despite a slowdown in economic growth.

EMPLOYMENT could rise the least in two decades this year according to Davy, the country’s largest securities firm.

THE article on immigration by Pat McArdle of Ulster Bank (January 7) is a bit off the mark.

FEARS over the economy did not stop Irish consumers from spending heavily in September, CSO figures show.

Retail sales have risen by 1.3% in September after a fall of 1% in August, to leave them up slightly over the two-month period.

THE number of people in work is rising and has topped 2.14 million for the first time.

IRELAND’S rate of inflation rose again last month, as prices for food such as bread, butter and milk rose to the highest level in five years.

THE growth in retail sales came to a halt in August with new figures showing a decline in sales volume in the month.

Ulster Bank economist Pat McArdle is predicting that house prices will fall further before the market picks up again.

INFLATION could hit a seven-year high this year, as the latest figures reveal a hike in air fares, petrol prices and home-heating oil pushed it to 5% last month.

Ulster Bank has predicted up to 30,000 job losses in the construction sector may go over the next few years.

ALMOST one in three hotel and restaurant workers is a foreigner, according to new figures underlining the importance of immigration to Ireland’s economy.

ACTIVITY in the construction sector reached an eight-month high in February.

THE sharpest rise in the North’s business activity for over two-and-a-half years in December was seen, according to the Ulster Bank Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for Northern Ireland.

Employment in the private sector in the North grew by its fastest rate in more than four years in December, it was revealed today.

ONE of the country’s leading economists expects the 2007 Budget to be expansionary and to deliver a surplus at the same time.

The ongoing strength of the property market has seen the State's public finances continue to surge ahead of all expectations, according to Exchequer figures published yesterday.

CIVIL engineering continues to be the strongest performing construction sector for the fourth month in a row according to Ulster Bank’s Purchasing Managers Index.

August saw strong growth in the Irish construction sector, according to the Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers' Index released today.

THE construction industry registered 36 months of consecutive expansion in August, the latest Ulster Bank Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) has found.

THE construction sector expanded once again in July, according to the latest Ulster Bank Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI).

Irish constructors continued to record a strong rate of activity expansion in May, according to the Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers' Index.

THE runaway growth of the construction sector shows no signs of easing, the latest Ulster Bank forecast shows.

The Irish construction economy again recorded a strong rate of activity growth in January, according to the Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers' Index.

ACTIVITY in the construction industry increased last month, as the industry’s workforce expanded for the 29th successive month.

THE cost of living fell slightly in December, in spite of increases in fuel prices and mortgage repayments. Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, slipped to 2.5% in December from 2.6% in November.

Growth of the Irish construction economy was maintained for a twenty-seventh consecutive month in November, as constructors stepped up activity in response to higher levels of new business.

GROWTH in the construction sector slipped in November, a report from Ulster Bank reveals.

Construction activity in Ireland rose for the twenty-fifth successive month in September, according Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers' Index.

THE construction sector continued its boom for the 25th month in a row in September, Ulster Bank said yesterday.

Construction activity in Ireland rose for the twenty-fourth consecutive month in August, according to the Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers' Index.

THE rate of growth in the construction sector picked up in August, according to the latest Ulster Bank purchasing managers’ index.

Spending on public capital projects may undershoot targets by a large margin this year, according to a survey by Ulster Bank.