The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is developing new economic tracking tools to spot patterns and give more “real-time” insights into strain in the consumer-facing hospitality, tourism and retail sectors. The Department of Enterprise said recent years had illustrated the speed with which shocks can translate into stress in these sectors. The basis for the new tracking tools is set out in a paper by Keith Fitzgerald and Dermot P Coates. The department said that the indicators are experimental and are not designed to give forecasts or to trigger policy actions. They are intended to form part of the department’s ongoing analytical work to deepen understanding of real-time economic trends and their impact on key sectors.

Source: Irish Independent December 23, 2025 17:31 UTC