Last week, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) published its Quarterly Economic Commentary. In the press release which accompanied the publication, the ESRI refers to the ongoing strength and expansion of the Irish economy but also highlights the downward revisions to global growth forecasts due to the uncertainty caused by the changing position on tariffs. Unemployment is expected to remain low at just over 4 percent across the forecast horizon with real wage growth of 3.5 percent forecasted in 2025 and 2.3 percent in 2026.
The ESRI reported total tax revenues continue to perform well, however, corporate tax revenues are lower in the first five months of this year compared to January to May 2024. In an overall assessment, the ESRI highlighted three key concerns: the status on tariffs, the influence of windfall corporate revenues on the public finances and the number of housing completions.