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Under-employment seems to have stopped falling. Yet at over 100,000 people it remains high and this spare economic capacity might, at a practical level, mean that thousands are struggling financially. It also suggests that we are further from full employment than government would like us to believe and these under-employed people could, along with some other categories, conceivably swell real unemployment numbers by almost 170%.

The release announcing the latest social housing output data last week would indicate that Rebuilding Ireland is exceeding its targets in the provision of social housing to those on low incomes.  Unfortunately, the reality is that 45% of local authorities failed to meet their build targets and reliance on the private rented market to provide answers continues.

Ireland ranks 11th out of 15 comparable EU countries in this year’s Sustainable Progress Index. ‘Measuring Progress: The Sustainable Progress Index 2019’ ranks 15 comparable EU countries based on their delivery of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ireland’s overall ranking in the bottom third will be noted by key stakeholders after the Irish Government published its SDG ‘National Development Plan’ just last year, committing itself to the UN SDGs across all policy areas. 

A pattern seems to have emerged in the narrative surrounding Finland's pilot programme: “Basic Income has no positive effect employment take-up”. The reality is somewhat more nuanced.