Full coverage: Economy

KPMG managing partner Seamus Hand is bullish about the economic outlook. However, he is concerned that the recovery could be hampered by businesses being unable to access the right pool of talent.

Our private equity-backed world has created a modern two-class system: those who interact with the real world, and those who do not, with the latter being seen, strangely, as a privilege.

Multiple assessments of the Irish economy agree that the long-term issues facing us are intergenerational inequality, firms dealing with technological change, and climate change. Here is how we can tackle them.

When it comes to Ireland’s built environment, the pandemic and associated economic shock may bring about a fundamental shift in how we use space. Our preferences may change for how and where we live and what we want to use our streets, shops and office blocks for.

In a wide-ranging interview, Central Bank Governor Gabriel Makhlouf talks about the impact of the crisis on the economy and gives his outlook for the sectors most impacted including retail, hospitality and property. He also talks about Ireland's insurance industry, inflation and the rise of shadow banking.

The State has the immediate means to support those businesses and workers most affected by the pandemic, but next month’s budget also needs to address where resources and debt repayments will come from in the medium term.

In addition to the housing crisis, the pandemic forces us to fund better health services, support businesses and retrain many unemployed workers. It is time to ask who will pay.

Which channel will be more important to the recovery? Will it be bricks or clicks? Can we level the playing field for Irish firms abroad? It is time for a digital single market.

How is it that pandemic income support policies that, at their peak, supported almost half of the entire workforce are being trashed in the national media? What can we do to stop that?

Paschal Donohoe is a chief architect of the July stimulus package. In an in-depth interview, the finance minister talks about the philosophy behind the package, the challenges facing Irish business and the societal impact of Covid-19.