ESRI

Despite the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, both domestic and foreign sources of growth have contributed to the Irish economy’s robust performance in 2021. As public health measures are eased considerably, we anticipate a return to more normal economic activity by the end of the year. For the present year, our expectation is that Irish GDP will grow by 12.6 per cent. The double-digit growth rate is mainly due to multinational related activities, in particular strong export figures. Modified domestic demand, a more accurate measure of underlying economic activity, is expected to grow by 7 per cent in the present year. Into 2022, we expect a continued strong performance of the economy, with GDP set to increase by 7 per cent.

A new ESRI study, commissioned by the National Disability Authority, examines the skills and educational qualifications and employment prospects of people with disabilities compared to those without, and how the situation has changed over time. The study found that among EU-28 countries Ireland had the fourth-lowest employment rate among people with disabilities of working age in 2018 (36 per cent). In addition, employment rates among this group did not benefit from the economic recovery that took place after the Great Recession to the same extent as other workers.