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The Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024 which was recently signed into law by the President of Ireland on November 12 after it was passed in the Dáil and Seanad, aims to modernise and enhance the regulatory framework for companies and industrial societies in Ireland, focusing on several key areas:

We were recently informed of potential changes to the bus network serving Horizon Logistics Business Park, located near Dublin Airport and Ballymun. These proposed adjustments are part of the BusConnects network restructuring, which includes the renaming and re-routing of certain bus routes.

Housing consistently ranks as a top priority in our Business Sentiment Survey. In this regard we invited Fingal County Council’s Interim Director of Housing and Community Services to present at our October meeting.

Eurochambres recent Economic Survey (EES) highlights that while there have been improvements in Europe's economy, such as lower inflation, increased consumer confidence, and progress in securing supply chains, the ongoing war in Ukraine still affects economic performance.

One of the key HR priorities to emerge from Adare’s most recent HR Barometer Series 8.2 was Employee engagement and experience. Persistently tight labour market conditions go a long way to explaining HR’s recent focus on Employee engagement. With the unemployment rate expected to hover around 4% into 2025, HR teams look set to continue focusing on Employee engagement strategies into next year to drive better recruitment and retention metrics. Against this backdrop, there are also major compliance changes taking place in 2025. The first contributions under the pension auto-enrolment scheme will be collected in September 2025, gender pay gap reporting obligations will extend to Organisations with 50 Employees or more and wider pay transparency measures that affect recruitment processes and employment contracts will move a year closer. To help HR professionals prepare for 2025, this article will focus on key trends that HR professionals need to prepare for in the year ahead.

The EU's Pay Transparency Directive came into effect in 2023 and Ireland, like other EU countries, will be required to implement a range of new pay transparency measures by 2026. The key aims of the Directive are to reduce gender pay gaps and to make pay information more accessible to more stakeholders. While the Directive is not yet in full force, Irish Employers should nevertheless consider how these new pay transparency measures could impact operations once they are fully implemented.

The data from Adare’s recent HR Barometer Series 8.2 reveal that the top priorities for Irish Organisations heading into 2025 centre around enhancing Employee engagement and experience (51%), retaining talent (48%), and strengthening talent acquisition (25%).

The numbers reflect the competitive labour market that Irish Organisations are operating in and highlight how Employers are responding by adopting a more strategic approach to Employee engagement and communication.

Workplace investigations play an important role in the dispute resolution process in Irish Organisations. Typically, an investigation will be required as part of workplace procedures to resolve Employee disputes, manage grievances, or examine alleged misconduct. To ensure that the running of a workplace investigation does not infringe Employee rights, it is vital that Employers are aware of their obligations around how to investigate work-related allegations in compliance with a range of statutory, contractual and constitutional rights.

On 4 October 2022, the Employment Permits Bill 2022 was officially released. According to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the primary objective of this Bill is to enhance the adaptability of the permit system to Ireland’s changing labour market. This Bill aims to streamline the existing legislation by incorporating the previous Employment Permits Acts (2003, 2006, and 2014) into a single unified law, simplifying the application process for all parties involved. Additionally, this Bill introduces two new permit categories: one for contractors employed by non-Irish based employers and a seasonal employment permit tailored to those working in seasonal industries.

In a competitive and evolving business landscape, developing an effective HR strategy has become essential for success. While compliance has always been a major focus for HR activity, tight labour market conditions have recently emphasised the importance of HR strategy to overall Organisational goals. Employers that adopt a more strategic approach to increasing Employee engagement and retention are now better positioned to drive continued business growth in the persistent tight labour market conditions.