Optimistic forecast from Ibec: Growth must reach all corners

Ibec’s latest quarterly economic outlook is optimistic — it forecasts growth of 5.6% and that the consumer economy will grow by 2.6% in volume terms. The lobby suggests that, before the year ends, employment will reach record levels, with over 2.2m people at work.

This is indeed heartening even if Ibec tempers it with the usual warnings about competitiveness — business shorthand for wage increases and other costs. The organisation, unsurprisingly, warned that threats to competitiveness are resurfacing. Demand has recovered, but many domestic business costs are also rising quickly, they say.