Finance News

Story: Ireland’s Services PMI Slips to 54.5 in January

By Dan Saada

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Ireland's services sector slowed down. The AIB Services Purchasing Managers' Index dropped to 54.5 in January from December's 54.

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AIB released these numbers and they're pretty important for tracking how Ireland's economy is doing.

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Employment kept growing. But slower than before.

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Companies said they got more new orders, mostly from customers here in Ireland rather than exports.

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Many businesses ended up passing these extra costs onto their customers, which means people are paying more for services.

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Business confidence stayed steady though. Service providers are still optimistic about what's coming next, betting that Ireland's economy will remain stable.

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Ireland's navigating some tricky waters after Brexit changed everything. The services sector is massive for the country's economy and affects jobs and growth patterns across the…

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AIB didn't comment on future projections or break down which specific service industries contributed what to the numbers.

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The timing is pretty rough. Ireland's Central Statistics Office said on February 3 that GDP growth slowed in the last quarter of 2025, raising concerns about how that might hit…

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Bank of Ireland economist Sarah Murphy thinks the PMI staying above 50 is good news but the drop shows service providers are being cautious.

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Finance Minister Michael McGrath said on February 4 that keeping the services sector stable is a top priority.

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And there's the European Central Bank meeting coming up in March. Whatever they decide about interest rates could shake things up for service companies across the Eurozone,…

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Supply chain problems aren't helping either. The Irish Exporters Association said on February 2 that procurement challenges are messing with service delivery timelines.

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The Central Bank of Ireland noted on February 1 that unemployment held steady at 4.7% in January.

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Consumer confidence dipped slightly to start the year, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute's January 31 report.

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