September has seen us well and truly transition from Summer to Autumn. From here on in, we have the ‘crisp’ days to look forward to along with enjoying the changing colours of the season, that’s if there are any leaves left on the trees after Storm Agnes and unless you are in Australia, which is where many of you have headed to enjoy some sunshine this winter!
Did you make it to Electric Picnic this year? The weather was certainly on your side this time. Did you get to see the Wolfe Tones set? Was it the pinnacle of the festival? Did you do anything for Culture night? There was the ‘washout’ at Burning Man, the new Late Late Show host had his debut and of course, there was sport, lots of it, but more on that later.
In just a few days we’ll all be talking about Budget 2024, what was, and wasn’t in the package; winners and losers and so forth. Undoubtedly Ireland is in receipt of some spectacular corporation tax revenues and is still benefitting from one of the highest growth rates in the EU. As the current tri-party government starts to look towards the next election (with Sinn Fein seemingly looming large in the rear-view mirror!) it will be very interesting to see what the budget holds for us all.
A couple of interesting stories and a survey caught our eye during September – an additional 215,000 people now entitled to free GP care, discussed in the Indo here. We enjoyed the amazing strength and depth of KMPG’s finalists and winners in their Global Tech Innovators Awards, catch up on some of the finalists videos here.
Women Mean Business shared some very interesting CSO statistics highlighting the upward curves (albeit not at the pace many of us might like) in the representation of women in senior executive and board roles. One surprising setback among all the positive indicators is that the number of women CFO's has actually fallen from 2021 to 2023. If you would like to participate in a round table discussion about this, do contact Rachel Tubridy, she would be delighted to host an event on the subject.
Mick McAteer, managing partner with Grant Thornton said the priority for most Irish workers was now about job security rather than moving to secure a wage increase. (BusinessPost Sept 2023). Find out more in their latest International Business report - here. We wonder what your priority is - Salary or Job Security?
- It’s Apple PR, but it has Octavia Spencer playing Mother Nature – what’s not to love?
- How on-trend is your shopping trolley; are you buying Ireland's Top Brands?
- We all love a green-eyed snoop at the Forbes Billionaires List 2023
- Halloween will creep up on you; very American but some great Costume ideas
- Time to figure out how to get (grant-aided) ways to keep your house energy efficient
As you know, every month we have a quick poll, we’ve put this lovely infograph together showing the results from our Jan to Jun 2023 questions. Don’t forget to participate this month, there is €100 One4All voucher to be won! We also have a prize for our overseas candidates, read on to find out more.
So, AI, where do you stand? Presumably somewhere between it being the saviour of mankind and it being the spawn of the devil (I think that covers most of us). Undoubtedly, AI is at the heart of change in the corporate and indeed the social world. Everything from automation, to customer service and even the arts. As with every new development, people with nefarious intent will be exploring ways to use it for their own ends (with potentially disastrous consequences for the whole planet) so we must ensure that it is properly policed. Of course, this puts the ethical use of AI at the centre of the debate, and let’s hope it is a robust and never-ending debate. Closer to home this EY survey sets out what Irish CEOs are thinking and planning regarding AI.
The new man is installed at the helm of the Late Late Show. Were you one of the almost 900k who tuned in for the opening show? In this streaming age, we’ll be interested to see if the LLS can retain its place in the Irish zeitgeist. Maybe Grá ar an Trá on Virgin Media is more exciting? I see an ex-EY’er on there. Our editor has it on catch up to watch later.
Roy Keane is listed as being a “contributor throughout” on an upcoming Netflix series charting the rise (and, we suppose) the rise of David Beckham. Depending on which Roy turns up, thoughtful analyst or panto baddie, it could make for very interesting. We can’t wait!
We know that the Ryder Cup is almost upon us, and the Rugby World Cup has been delivering thrills and even some surprises but we are shamelessly starting by doffing our caps to the Ladies of Team Europe who came from a 4-0 deficit on day one to retain the Solheim cup by the narrowest of margins (i.e. none at all) after a 14-14 draw in Spain last weekend. It was a stirring competition played in the best spirit and of course included a magnificent contribution from our own Leona Maguire who has now scored 7.5 points out of 10 over two Solheim Cup competitions.
The men’s equivalent kicks off in Rome shortly and will undoubtedly be the huge draw it has become over recent years. It’s so exciting to see how engaged and pumped up both sides get, with not a cent of prize money at stake.
We’re only now recovering, and re-growing our nails, following Ireland’s nerve-shredding win against South Africa in the RWC which is starting to bubble up nicely. Australia is already going home, not many people would have bet on that! Thank heavens there’s another week until we face the potential banana-skin of a game against Scotland before the small matter of a quarter-final game, most likely against the All Blacks; as the little guy says, ‘simples’.
Is there any need to report that Man City are off to a 100% start with a big goal difference already or that Max Verstappen... No, we didn’t think so.
Anyone who feels their job is under threat or are facing a material deterioration in their health should definitely be taking a very proactive look at the job market; but what about Joe and Josephine Soap? Is there ever a ‘right’ time to leave?
People often wonder have they learned enough in their current role, is their career progressing, could they go further more quicky externally? Is the other opportunity really better or can they wangle a better deal where they are? What about that bonus, annual leave days, pension, flexibility? Is the potential new job more secure? The list goes on, but so should your research. Write down your pros and cons, discuss with partners and mentors. Don’t make the decision lightly, but don’t put it off either! We believe it can take between 3 – 6 months to find the right role (depending on where you are in your career naturally). If you are considering a move, get in touch, organise a 30 minute Zoom call, find out what your options are. We are firm believers that the grass is not always greener, but sometimes it is!
You can start assessing the market right here with our latest roles… remember, the market changes daily, there are new roles coming in all the time, so if you don’t see what you want here, pick up the phone (086 662 9674) or email here.
We hope you are having a fabulous time wherever you are in the world, be it Canada, Scotland, England, Australia, Dubai or beyond. No doubt you have family and loved ones here in Ireland who miss you and would love to hear from you. We are giving you an opportunity to send them a fabulous bunch of flowers on us obvs. All you have to do is nominate that person. The winner will be contacted as ultimately we will need an address to send the flowers to! Nominate your person here.
Each month we ask our readers to answer a question for a chance to win €100 One4all voucher.
Our question for the August newsletter was:
Would your company face a significant struggle if the finance system failed? Yes/No
The responses were:
A: Yes - 86%
B: No - 14%
We were surprised with the 14% - we’d love to know their secret. Is everything backed up? Do they run dual financial systems?
And the winner of our voucher is – Sean Malone – we’ll be in touch!
Our question for the September newsletter is:
With the US Senate relaxing dress codes and our own politicians representing us globally in some questionable outfits, do you think companies should still have a dress code?
A: Yes
B: No
The winner will be chosen at random and will receive €100 One4All voucher. Enter here to be in with a chance to win.
If you would like regular updates follow our LinkedIn company page.
PeopleSource.ie is a specialist finance & accounting recruitment firm.
