Compensation for holidaymakers, Budget 2022 analysed, and responding to a resurgent Covid

Taxpayers are funding compensation for holidaymakers hit by travel agency failures during Covid-19 after insurance provided by some businesses fell short of the amount needed. Barry O'Halloran has details on fresh issues surrounding the Travellers' Protection Fund.

The majority of households in the State will not see any material change in their financial circumstances as a result of Budget 2022, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has said. Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports on the judgment, which also allows that some low-income working parents and retirees could end up being worse off.

Cliff Taylor also takes a close look at this week's budget in our long-read Agenda feature, outlining his five main takeaways, including a nod to the issues that now look set to arise in Budget 2023.

John FitzGerald has parsed the budget too, looking back on what he sees as the missed opportunities in the 2022 package. He suggests, for example, that it might have been wiser to have extracted some spending power from the economy through raising taxation.

Surge in resignations as employees defy bosses on return to office

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Budget 2022 to ‘maintain financial status quo for households’

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Covid-19: Taxpayers funding compensation for holidaymakers

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Mulvey to mediate in IAA dispute

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In his Caveat column, Mark Paul asks what the appropriate policy response should be to rising Covid numbers? He suggests it might be best for some businesses to prepare for the worst while still hoping for the best.

With the cost of power and fuel hitting daily headlines, David Sheppard asks what exactly is driving Europe's energy crisis, neatly outlining the factors behind the problem.

Are you on the path to burnout at work? Olive Keogh has some tips for those of you who answered 'yes', pointing out that high performance does not need to come at the expense of wellbeing.

Ger Rabbette, the chief executive of fast-growing pharmaceutical services group Uniphar, has been selected as The Irish Times Business Person of the month for September, an award run in association with Bank of Ireland. Uniphar defied the Covid-19 pandemic to deliver a 31 per cent surge in profits to €134.3 million in results for the first half of the year announced in September.

Our Wild Goose this week is Keith Harris, a hairdresser based in Fortaleza, Brazil. Mr Harris started out in his career aged 14, sweeping the floor in his father's salon in Dublin. The Terenure native now cuts hair while looking out over sunny rooftops close to the equator.

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