[dublinman1990]

This report was only released yesterday morning as it was luckily found on my Google + profile.

http://forumblog.org/2012/06/ranking...n-europe-2012/

At least the economy is attempting to regain competitiveness at a very tough time when unemployment is still high and recovery is still regarded as very sluggish. We still a high workforce in the country which is still very positive.

Ireland is doing trying to it's very best in terms of getting investment in to the country amid it tough times.

I do believe that Ireland being the "poster child of rapid growth" is defintiely pushing it though in terms of what happened in the Celtic Tiger even the report said that the growth was very recent.

The Europe Competitiveness report for 2020 is also given here

[Finnbar01]

I'm disappointed really. I mean 12th in Europe? I wonder where we are in the World?

[thebman]

Is it wrong that the synopsis sounds like it is about a different country after the first sentence?

I think such a ranking system should be taken with a pinch of salt unless as whoever was setting it up could have biased for certain countries to appear higher by placing higher value on certain qualities.

We come in just behind Estonia on this table.

[Suryavarman]

Originally Posted by Finnbar01

I'm disappointed really. I mean 12th in Europe? I wonder where we are in the World?

We're 29th in the world (P.30 of 544).

[Gurgle]

Originally Posted by thebman

the synopsis sounds like it is about a different country after the first sentence?

Ireland, until recently a European “poster child” of rapid growth, demonstrates a need to create better conditions for innovation in order to regain a sustainable growth path. The country can count on a range of good assets to do so. A traditionally good quality and well performing educational system has created a dynamic and skilful labour force, including scientists and engineers, who are instrumental in boosting the technological capacity of the country. Moreover, the dense network of national universities has also managed to create a scientific base that scores high at the European level, and pro-business policies have facilitated the creation of a highly entrepreneurial culture.

Which parts do you not understand agree with?

[ardmacha]

http://www.independent.ie/business/i...r-3155580.html

THE country's manufacturing sector grew at its fastest rate in more than a year in June as firms took on more workers, fuelling hope that Irish exports are recovering from the crisis in the eurozone and the domestic economy.

The rosy picture was tarnished by significant declines in most other parts of the globe.

Ireland's manufacturing sector has grown regularly for the past four months after a prolonged period of contraction. according to the latest survey. The NCB Purchasing Managers' Index climbed to 53.1 in June from 51.2 in May, accelerating its rise above the 50 line that separates growth from contraction.

The employment sub index grew for the fourth month in a row to 55.9 in June. That's the sharpest increase since December 1999, when the index started," said Brian Devine, chief economist at NCB Stockbrokers. "These are a healthy set of numbers."

NCB said that the job creation was mainly linked to rising production. New orders and new exports also performed well last month.

There was further good news for manufacturers as input costs fell for the first time in more than two years as commodity prices sank. The price of goods sold by companies didn't change -- the first time in 10 months that there had not been a decline.

Weakness

The survey ''bodes well for the Irish economy',' Mr Devine said.

Stocks of purchases continued to decrease as firms remained reluctant to build up inventories. However, strong growth of input buying led the rate of depletion to slow to a marginal pace that was the weakest since February 2008.

The growth of the manufacturing sector here was in stark contrast to the rest of the euro area, which saw manufacturing output contract for an 11th straight month as Europe's debt crisis sapped demand across the continent. The gauge for the eurozone held at 45.1 in June, London-based Markit Economics said in a final estimate.

Europe's economy is showing increasing signs of weakness after stalling in the first quarter as the worsening fiscal crisis erodes the confidence of executives and consumers.

"Producers' input costs are now falling at the fastest rate for nearly three years, which should help boost profitability and feed through to lower inflation," Markit's chief economist, Chris Williamson, said in yesterday's report. "However, their biggest fear at the moment is slumping demand rather than rising prices, with demand in home markets and further afield being hit by heightened uncertainty regarding the economic outlook as the region's economic crisis rolls on."

The US manufacturing sector grew in June at its most sluggish rate in 18 months as the pace of output, hiring and new orders all slowed, an industry survey showed.

The final index stood at 52.5 in June, below both a preliminary estimate of 52.9 and May's reading of 54. June marked the lowest showing since December, 2010. Another survey by the Institute for Supply Management suggested later that the US economy is in fact contracting.

US factories were hurt by weak European demand for US goods. Mr Williamson said that should persist "for some time to come" as Europe struggles with austerity budgets and sluggish growth.

Figures from further afield showed that a factory slump in Asia's two biggest exporters, China and Japan, deepened in June as crumbling orders from abroad dragged activity to seven-month lows, heightening worries that the health of the global economy is deteriorating.

PMI reports on major exporters South Korea and Taiwan also indicated new orders were falling.