Online job ads up 4pc in Q2 – IrishJobs.ie The number of jobs advertised online grew by 4pc between the first and second quarters of this year, while they were up by 2pc year-on-year, according to the quarterly IrishJobs.ie Jobs Index. IrishJobs.ie said the annual increase was driven by a number of key sectors increasing year on year, most notably medical and healthcare, up by 19pc; science and pharmaceuticals, up by 27pc; and transport and warehousing, up by 38pc. On a quarterly basis, the index shows growth in: IT, up by 14pc; tourism, travel and airlines, up by 15pc; legal, up 9pc; accountancy and finance, up 5pc; and transport, up…

Dublin City Council has reduced commercial rates for 2013 by 0.5pc and now other local authorities must follow suit, according to Dublin Chamber of Commerce . “The current revaluation of commercial properties that is taking place in the Dublin City Council area could lead to an increase in the rates bill for some businesses from 2014 onwards so any reduction in advance of this is positive,” said Chamber chief executive Gina Quin. “The remaining three Dublin county councils will vote on their 2013 budgets in the next three weeks and be put to the test as to how supportive they really are of commerce.” In the past four years, commercial rates have been reduced…

The urban population of Ireland is now 62pc of the total population, in just 2.4pc of the total land area, according to the most recent figures released by the Central Statistics Office . The migration of people to cities is a global trend where people are following the investment, employment and innovation opportunities of cities, according to Dublin Chamber of Commerce . Aebhric McGibney, Dublin Chambers director of policy, said: “There has been a global urban shift, cities have become the lightning rods of investment, the centres of innovations, the epicentre of employment and the engines of national economies. Cities are responsible for generating more than 80pc of global gross domestic product yet they occupy just 2pc…

Cable broadband and TV player UPC has ratcheted up its broadband subscriber numbers and now reaches 148,000 subscribers. CEO Robert Dunn said €400 million has been invested in upgrading the company’s Irish network. The company now passes some 877,400 homes overall, out of which 713,300 are termed revenue-generating units. Subscribers for UPC’s digital cable services stood at 276,900 while subscribers for its analog services stood at 153,600. The company has 74,300 MMDS subscribers. UPC currently serves 148,100 homes with high-speed cable broadband and has a total addressable broadband market at present of 593,000 homes. The company is also currently building out a next-generation network that will offer speeds of up…

Cork-headquartered global supply chain solutions company PCH International has bought TNS Distribution for a consideration of up to €21m. The acquisition involves an immediate payment of €6m by PCH, which has its operational headquarters in Shenzhen, China. PCH will also pay up to €5m over three years for the company, which is a European distributor of consumer electronics products and accessories, depending on the latter’s performance. An additional payment will be made over the same period based on the overall performance of the PCH Group, and will range from between €5m and 10m. Ernst & Young managed the transaction on behalf of PCH. TNS Distribution is based in Ireland, and has offices in the…