A snapshot of the impact of COVID-19 on Ireland based on statistics compiled by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has just been published.

Based on mortality data reported to the Department of Health, there have been more than 6,200 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland over the last two years, with more than 1,000 of those deaths occurring in the first four weeks of 2021. 

The CSO figures show that employment increased by 229,100 or 10.1% to 2,506,000 in the year to Q4 2021, exceeding 2.5 million for the first time since the series began in 1998.

The most recent Live Register publication noted there were 410,551 fewer in receipt of the PUP at the end of January 2022 than at the end of January 2021.

Employment increased in most sectors with the largest rates of increase in the accommodation and food service sector (+29.8% or +37,100).

Savings 

Household saving from January 2020 until the end of September 2021 was €54 billion compared to €20.8 billion for the equivalent pre-pandemic period.

The Residential Property Price Index (RPPI) increased by 14.4% nationally in the 12 months to December 2021 and the median price of a dwelling purchased in the same period was €280,000.

Some 88% of people who can work remotely would like to do so when all pandemic restrictions are removed.

And almost three-quarters of those who work remotely felt they had more time on their hands, because of remote work, to do things they never got the chance to do before the pandemic.

The Quarterly National Accounts Q3 publication showed that in the year-to-date, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021 increased by 14.5% compared with the first three quarters of 2020 and by 21.7% when compared with the corresponding quarters of 2019. 

Household expenditure on goods and services fell by €10 billion in 2020 compared with 2019, with spending on restaurants and hotels most affected, falling by €6.5 billion.

However, household expenditure on alcoholic beverages (purchased for home consumption) rose by close to €0.5 billion in 2020. 

Preliminary figures for 2021 showed that goods exports were valued at more than €165 billion in 2021, the highest total on record and up +2% over 2020 figures.