Of the various economic problems that face Ireland, unemployment has been the one to show least signs of turning the corner. This post reviews the latest Live Register data, and finds some crumbs of comfort in the marked slowdown in new job losses recently. It also analyses the gender and age breakdown of the Live Register in 2009, finding men under-25 have had it toughest, before offering some thoughts on growth sectors for the future.

This post reviews the ILO’s Global Wage Report and in particular its expanding dataset on internal inequality between top and bottom earners. While inequality has fallen in many countries, including Ireland, there is no strong evidence of a global trend in that direction. The figures contain an important reminder: even the poorest in wealthy countries live in conditions that average earners in most other countries would happily take.

Has the new year brought a change in the property market headwinds? Will first-time buyers waiting in the wings find themselves missing out if they don’t move soon? This post looks at trends in the total stock sitting on the market in both apartments and houses, across Dublin, in the other major cities and in the rest of the country. It also estimates the percentage of all properties currently listed for sale in each segment