The main unemployment rate was 3.8% in June on a seasonally adjusted basis, remaining steady from 3.8% in May and down from a level of 4.2% twelve months ago. The seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed was 105,400 in June and fell by 6,000 in the past 12 months.

Pawel Adrjan, Director of Economic Research at hiring platform Indeed, comments on the latest CSO data:

Since January of this year, when unemployment stood at 4.3%, the monthly unemployment rate has fallen steadily each month. It hit an all-time record low last month of 3.8% and has now remained at this full employment level for a second month running.

Putting this in perspective, the unemployment rate was last at its former lowest level of 3.9% between October 2000 and April 2001, which was at the height of the Celtic Tiger.

A low unemployment rate is good news for job seekers, those looking to change roles or those preparing to ask for a wage increase, but maybe not so for certain employers, especially those already experiencing difficulties in finding the right staff and keeping costs under control.

The most recent Indeed Wage Tracker showed annual wage growth in Ireland has remained steady at 4.9%, but it comes as growth in advertised wages remains significantly above historical levels in all eight of the tracked countries.

Amid an uncertain economic growth outlook for the EU and UK, along with higher interest rates and tighter monetary policy from policymakers fighting inflation, unemployment rates remain at or near historic lows. Job vacancies have gradually fallen in most countries, but they are still high relative to historical levels, leading to a tight labour market overall.

A high ratio of vacancies to unemployment - essentially, when there are more jobs available than workers to fill them - increases workers’ bargaining power, putting upward pressure on wages. There is a strong positive correlation between this ratio and growth in advertised wages in most of the countries tracked by Indeed.

The pace of wage gains is a critical indicator followed closely by central banks the world over as policymakers continue to fight high inflation.

More about Irish Tech News

Irish Tech News are Ireland’s No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland’s No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here:

If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

We caught up with Margrét Bjarnadóttir, cofounder of PayAnalytics to learn more about their data driven strategy to help improve pay equity.

What are you working on now and how could it be useful in general, and in Ireland, in particular?

We have been working on pay equity for almost a decade now, meaning successfully supporting companies in measuring their pay gaps, closing them, and integrating pay equity into decision processes. Now, we’re broadening the PayAnalytics platform to include broader workplace equity, using data informed approaches to support inclusive practices, and shedding light on attrition, promotions and hiring. By broadening the scope of the platform we are supporting companies in attracting and retaining talent, and companies around the globe have realized the benefits of pay equity.

Margrét Bjarnadóttir, PayAnalytics

For Irish companies in particular ,we support them in fulfilling their Irish reporting requirements with a couple of mouse clicks, and we’re preparing them for the E.U. Pay Transparency Directive. Companies can now easily run a readiness check to understand where they stand and what they need to do to become ready.

What are the benefits of pay transparency and pay equity. Where will they lead us?

When we think about the benefits of pay transparency, we need to think about what we mean by pay transparency.

The different pay transparency rules and regulations around the world can take many forms. Ireland will be affected by two key pay transparency tools.. First, the Irish reporting requirement mandates that companies publicly disclose their pay gaps in relation to gender, and that they create an action plan to reduce gender-based differences in compensation . For most employers, this will undoubtedly put pressure on tem to improve year over year, and may therefore lead to a slow but steady progression towards closing the absolute pay gap.

Second, the forthcoming EU Pay Transparency Directive will require organizations to disclose salary ranges in job postings. To prepare, employers will have to be ready to post salary ranges, which includes preparing to explain salaries to current employees. They will have to answer the question: “Why is my salary what it is?” Pay equity advocates therefore have high hopes that this requirement will move the needle on fair pay. In fact, academic research has shown that salary disclosures reduce inequity.

Where do tech companies stand compared to other sectors? Are they any better or worse than the mean?

I think we cannot put all tech companies under the same hat. In fact, one of our first tech clients insisted that they did not have a pay equity issue prior to adopting our solution. That is rarely the case, so I was skeptical. But the CHRO was right, they did not have a pay gap, and it stemmed from their strategy of taking proactive action to retain and attract talent. And I would to this that most tech companies have realized that they need to be able to communicate to their employees that they take pay equity seriously, and that they monitor pay and take proactive actions. In this sense, many of our tech clients are leading the way in pay equity.

Of course, there are other companies that have not started their pay equity journey, that do not have inclusive culture, and lack representation of women in their workforce. So to sum up, technology companies are leading the way, while others have some catching up to do.

How will Large Language Models (LLMs) change the HR technology landscape - or will they?

HR tech is in many ways unique when it comes to the adoption of analytics. While we have been applying analytics across the organization (think supply chain, finance, accounting) for a long time, HR was left behind, but for a good reason. The decisions that we make in HR can be life altering for our employees. Who gets hired, who gets promoted, who receives a salary increase. Therefore, it is incredibly important that the algorithms that we apply are unbiase...

Dublin-based Catalyst (formerly known as i3PT), a leading global provider of software and professional services to the construction and real estate industries, today announced the creation of 100 new jobs across its European operations. 50% of the new jobs will be based in Ireland.

With this expansion, Catalyst is committed to delivering cutting-edge services and fostering international growth in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain. Furthermore, Catalyst has plans to establish additional locations in the United States for its obi software business.

The creation of these new positions comes in response to Catalyst’s strong growth and increasing demand for its industry-leading services. The company’s expertise in ESG, technical advisory services and digital technologies has positioned Catalyst as a trusted partner for some of the world’s largest companies and real estate investors.

The 100 new jobs will principally be distributed across Catalyst’s European offices, with significant employment opportunities arising across Ireland, London, Edinburgh, Milan, and Barcelona, amongst other new locations. These roles will span various departments, including engineering, software development, marketing, and sales.

Eoin Leonard, CEO of Catalyst, expressed his gratitude to Enterprise Ireland for their unwavering support and invaluable assistance in the company’s expansion. Leonard stated, “We are thrilled to announce the creation of 100 new jobs across our business. This expansion reflects our continued growth and the increasing demand for services and software. We want to extend our deep appreciation to Enterprise Ireland for their ongoing support, guidance, and assistance in our journey to develop a thriving international business.”.

Jenny Melia, Executive Director at Enterprise Ireland, said: “Catalyst is a great example of an Irish company that has gone from strength to strength, growing both at home and internationally. Today’s announcement of 100 new jobs at Catalyst is a testament to the ambition and capabilities of the team. At Enterprise Ireland, we are committed to supporting Irish companies to compete and win in international markets, and we look forward to continuing to support Eoin and the team on their growth trajectory.”

Catalyst’s expansion marks an exciting milestone in the company’s journey towards becoming a global leader in the real estate and construction sectors. As regulatory shifts drive change towards better practices, Catalyst aims to assist its clients in creating a greener, safer built environment.

More about Irish Tech News

Irish Tech News are Ireland’s No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland’s No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here:

If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

To pull back our demands on the planet, a sustainable design expert suggests we should be looking back to the future with our technology.

An industrial designer has suggested that old technologies could make a comeback for a more sustainable future - such as wind-up shavers, pedal-powered tools and manual lawn mowers.

How Old Technology Can Help Build a More Sustainable Future

In his new book, Re-Imagining Alternative Technology, Brook S Kennedy envisions an innovative revival of underused and abandoned ideas, alongside new creative ones, to tackle global challenges such as climate change, natural resource management and pollution.

“With the global challenge of climate change, managing finite natural resources and pollution, everyone is focused on the biggest and most energy-hungry technologies. I’m suggesting that smaller, cumulative changes in our everyday lives could make a huge difference,” Kennedy explains.

“Rather than starting from scratch and face looking at an impossible task, I am suggesting design could focus on ‘modernizing’ technology we already know works. With some updating and refinement to aesthetics, performance and usability, these technologies could easily be brought back into re-use.”

Re-imagining nostalgic technologies

Kennedy is an award-winning industrial designer and Associate Professor in the School of Architecture, Arts and Design at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), US.

There his research focuses on topics in sustainable design and materials, appropriate technology, and biodesign.

Some of the nostalgic technologies he believes could make a valuable comeback include passive wind-harnessing cooling systems and human-assisted powered tools and appliances, and reusable, repairable durable goods that have become disposable in today’s context.

He also makes the case for ‘reimagining’ other domestic appliances including examples like manual carpet-sweepers and water collectors, as well as advocating for a return to reusable, durable products such as razors you can sharpen and shoe soles you can re-sole and repair.

As well as looking to the past for inspiration, Kennedy also looks at warmer climates to see if we can learn from other cultures.

He explains: “If many of these so-called forgotten alternative technologies are still common and in use mainly outside the United States, why can’t we make some changes and apply them here?”

He suggests Persian wind catchers could be used as a passive and low-energy house-cooling technique, and fog-catchers like those used in Chile and Morocco could be adapted for large-scale water-harvesting.

For public transport, Kennedy suggests the popular bicycle highways of the 1900s, as seen in Pasadena, could make a comeback, as well as water-powered funicular trains and ferries.

“There are so many more examples in transportation, architecture, and product design. Designers could help bring contemporary relevance to passive and ecological technologies, from awnings, manual carpet sweepers and more, which would have a cumulative effect on energy consumption and waste across the built environment.”

Further information

Reimagining Alternative Technology for Design in the 21st Century By Brook S Kennedy Published 30 May 2023 176 Pages Paperback: 9780367410223 | $39.95 USD | £29.99 eBook: 9780367814304 | $35.95 USD | £26.99

DOI:

About the author:

Brook S. Kennedy is an industrial designer and Associate Professor in the School of Architecture, Arts and Design at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), US. There his research focuses on topics in sustainable design, materials and biodesign. Prior to Virginia Tech he spent 15 years in full time practice, including as an Associate Director at Inclusive Design pioneer Smart Design in New York City, where he helped Fortune 500 clients and start-up companies embrace the value of human-centred design processes.

He has been honored with numerous international design awards fro...

Guest post by Antoinette Oglethorpe.

Having meaningful career conversations is essential for employee growth and development. These conversations provide an opportunity for reflection, insight, and action, enabling employees to take ownership of their career progress.

Confident Career Conversations: 10 Conversation Tools

To facilitate these conversations effectively, the Career Conversation Toolkit offers ten powerful conversation tools. These tools cover three stages helping employees (1) Learn from the past; (2) Dream about the future and (3) Take action in the present. Drawing on principles of positive psychology, solution focus, and neuroscience, these tools provide managers, mentors, and coaches with thoughtfully designed questions that stimulate reflection, maintain focus on the employee, and encourage proactive career management.

Career Platform. The Career Platform tool serves as a starting point, helping employees identify areas in their career they wish to change and motivating them to take action. Through thoughtful questioning, employees can clarify what they want to change in their career and ignite the drive to take action.

Typical Career Platform questions are:

What is going well in your current role?

What would you not want to change?

What would you like to be different?

Your Journey So Far. Reflection is a powerful tool for growth. The Your Journey So Far tool encourages employees to reflect on their strengths, values, and preferred working style. By understanding what they are good at and what truly matters to them, employees can make informed decisions about their career path.

Typical questions to help employees look back over their career are:

What are you most proud of?

What is it about that achievement that you found satisfying?

When was your most enjoyable time at work?

Career Kitbag. The Career Kitbag tool enables employees to identify and leverage their existing resources for career progression. It prompts them to consider their technical skills, soft skills, and career development skills, helping them recognise the assets they already possess.

Questions that help them identify their resources are:

What useful experiences have helped you get where you are today?

What valuable skills have you developed?

What positive qualities will help you make progress?

Future Success. Articulating a clear vision of success is crucial for career progression. The Future Success tool guides employees to describe what their ideal future looks like, encouraging them to envision their goals with clarity and purpose.

One way you can help employees think about their future is to ask them to imagine that a miracle happens. For example: Suppose you could wave a magic wand and develop your career in exactly the way you’d like.

What would you be doing day to day?

Where would you be working?

What kind of people would you be working with/for?

Career Routes. The Career Routes tool assists employees in exploring the various options available to them within their current role or in new positions. By understanding the potential pathways, employees can make informed decisions about their career options.

Questions to explore the different options and possibilities include:

How might you make your current role more satisfying and enjoyable?

How might you broaden your role?

How might you gain specific skills and experience through special projects, responsibilities or assignments?

Career Kitbag Additions. Building on the Career Kitbag tool, Career Kitbag Additions helps employees analyse the skills, experiences, information, and relationships they need to develop to progress toward their envisioned success. It encourages them to identify areas for growth and the resources required to achieve their goals.

Questions you can use include:

What knowledge do you need to gain?

What skills do you need to develop?

What experience do you need to get?

Career Checkpoint. Connecting employees’ aspirations with their current reality, the Career Chec...

PayPal’s new Travel Check-in report reveals the latest trends in the world of travel, as 85 per cent of Irish consumers either have or are planning to book a holiday for 2023 and almost a third (29%) are set to go on more than two holidays this year.

The research, carried out by Censuswide and involving more than 1,000 consumers across Ireland, found travel remains a priority for 62 per cent of people. While 64 per cent are looking to make up for lost travel time over the last couple of years, the high cost-of-living isn’t going unnoticed, with eight in ten (83%) being willing to adapt travel plans to be more cost-effective rather than cancel and more than three quarters (79%) looking to save money in their daily lives to prioritise travel/holidays.

Where are people headed for their vacations? Eight out of ten (81%) are planning to leave the Emerald Isles for their holidays. The most popular international destination picked was Spain (including Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza) (30%), followed by the UK (20%), Italy (16%) and France (16%). For those planning to stay closer to home, the top destinations within Ireland were Galway (22%), Cork (20%), Donegal (20%) and Dublin (20%).

Trips involving quality time with loved ones are high on the agenda for 71 per cent, with other popular trip types including enjoying the outdoors (40%), experiencing a different culture (29%) and focusing on health and wellness (20%) – this was important for almost a quarter of millennials (23% vs 20% general population). Gen Z were most open to ‘bleisure trips’ (mixing work and leisure) to enjoy more flexibility during their time off (12% vs 6% general population).

The average estimated spend on holidays for the year (including booking and all in travel costs) came in at approximately €2,320. The biggest spenders were from Clare (approx. €2,834), Cork (approx. €2,579) and Donegal (approx. €2,577).

“At PayPal, we’re seeing a surge in travel bookings and it’s encouraging to see that Irish people are being mindful of their budgets when it comes to being able to better afford that long-awaited trip,” said Maeve Dorman, Senior Vice President, PayPal. “We’re here to help Irish holiday goers make the most of their trip by providing peace of mind and simplicity for a seamless checkout from the moment they book flights, trains and accommodation all the way to after they’ve checked-in and are looking for local experiences and ticking off bucket lists.”

Check-out five tactics Irish holidaymakers are utilising to better afford travel this year:

Daily changes for weeks away: More than three quarters (79%) of consumers in Ireland are looking to save money in their daily lives to prioritise travel/holidays this year. The top cutbacks are cooking at home instead of getting a takeaway or eating out (58%), cutting back on nights out (50%), and making their own coffee at home instead of going to a coffee shop (42%).

Being savvy for sun, sea and. savings: The money-saving mindset doesn’t stop when it comes to booking with many using money-saving techniques to get the best price, including looking for discounts (53%), travelling on days when costs are cheaper (38%) and signing up for offers (26%).

Adapting for adventures: Some 83 per cent of people are willing to adapt their travel plans to be more cost-effective rather than cancel completely, be that looking for budget accommodation (29%), having just one main holiday (23%) or going on shorter trips (22%).

Planning perfection: Eight in ten (78%) would rather book in advance to guarantee a price than take a risk on getting a better price closer to the time. Those from Leitrim are the most organised, booking nine months before their break, while those from Clare tend to book three months ahead of time.

Smart budgeting in the sun: Almost three quarters (73%) of consumers plan to adopt a saving approach on holidays, as opposed to splurging. In terms of other budgeting behaviours, over half (52%) will go cashless and 67 per cen...

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum is challenging negative and misleading Irish stereotypes found in generative AI, with its latest campaign, Paddy ‘A.I.rishman’.

This campaign is a follow up to last summer’s ‘This is Not Us’, within which EPIC uncovered predictive search data that showed the many incorrect and misleading perceptions of the Irish which still prevail globally. This year, EPIC is taking on Artificial Intelligence and the outdated, and often offensive, stereotypes that are generated from this particular technology.

Following research, EPIC uncovered that when you prompt a popular AI image generator to show you an ‘Irish man’, the results were, without exception, outdated and extremely far removed from a modern-day understanding of ‘Irishness’. In countless tests, every generated image contained references to drinking, anger, aggression, or leprechaun-like styling. It’s these negative clichés that EPIC wants to call to account.

In their new iteration of ‘This Is Not Us’, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum aims to confront these misinformed perceptions head-on, by using AI to demonstrate how the Irish are often the butt of the joke within pop culture. AI pulls data from across the internet and creates what it ‘thinks’ is the most accurate representation of a user’s prompts. You need look no further than this year’s Oscars or Saturday Night Live skits to see that cheap shots still get cheap laughs.

Aileesh Carew, CEO, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, said, “While being Irish cannot possibly be summed up in a single image, we were surprised to find that AI generated images of the Irish are full of outdated stereotypes. At EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, we know that being Irish is a celebration that extends across the globe. We hope that this campaign will inspire people to look beyond stereotypes wherever they encounter them, and create meaningful conversations about the pitfalls and potentials of AI and of course visit EPIC to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be Irish.”

Nathan Mannion, Head of Exhibitions and Programmes at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum,said, “Whilst it’s disappointing to see these negative stereotypes perpetuated within AI, at EPIC we know that the lived experiences of our emigrants and diaspora are far more complex and nuanced than these reductive and clichéd images – we are inventors, poets, designers, leaders and changemakers. Our music, literature, culture, sport, food and dance encapsulate our rich and varied heritage and connect millions of people across the globe and across generations with each other and with Ireland.”

Alex Gibson, Head of Digital Marketing Discipline, TU Dublin, “One of the recognised downsides of AI is the potential to reinforce biases that exist in information already published. We all need to understand that AI processes essentially trawl data that already exists, and therefore is susceptible to significant misrepresentation. I am not at all surprised by the findings of the EPIC team and it is a very useful illustration of the challenges AI poses, and one I plan to share with my own students.”

Voted Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction for the past three years, EPIC offers a fully interactive experience like no other, which brings Irish history to life and allows visitors to discover what it really means to be Irish. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum exists to demonstrate that the Irish have left a greater, more positive impact on the world. Their museum experience shares the unforgettable stories of those who left Ireland’s shores, influencing, and shaping the world along the way.

For more information please go to www.epicchq.com or search #EPICmuseum on your chosen social platform.

See more stories here.

More about Irish Tech News

Irish Tech News are Ireland’s No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland’s No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm pa...

UCC Sport has announced that Clubforce has been named as a Technology Partner. UCC Sport will become the first organisation to implement Clubforce’s innovative sports management platform for sports associations across all its fifty clubs.

At the core of the brand-new platform from Clubforce is a next-generation, all-in-one club management solution which connects directly into an overarching solution for UCC Sport. By implementing the full Clubforce ecosystem, UCC Sport will benefit from intelligent insights automatically generated by the software. These actionable insights will be used to optimise the provision of sport across the College. Every sport at UCC will benefit from the next-generation club solution. The solution significantly eases the burden of managing as well as promoting a club and simplifies club communications.

“We’re excited to implement Clubforce across our clubs to help us give our students the best possible sports experience”, commented Morgan Buckley, Head of Sport & Physical Activity at UCC Sport, “Clubforce will make it significantly easier for our students to manage their club membership and communications and also allow us to significantly improve our understanding of sports participation trends across the whole College. We believe this will big a significant step forward in how we can grow participation and understand the needs and requirements of our Sport Clubs who reach across all areas of over 24,000 students in UCC”.

“We have invested significantly in building a next-generation product that takes our ecosystem for the sports community to a new level and I’m delighted that UCC Sport will become the first users at an institutional level”, explained Noel Murray, Chief Executive Officer at Clubforce, “Not only does our new platform provide a refreshed tool to support clubs at all levels but it also now provides governing bodies, leagues, and universities like UCC with powerful analytics to unlock the value of the data they hold.”

Clubforce, Ireland’s only ISO27001-certified provider of sports clubs software, released their completely refreshed NextGen platform for grassroots clubs in May this year. The platform combines Clubforce’s experience working with thousands of sports clubs with the very latest in design, security and technology delivering a solution for club volunteers to manage all aspects of their club on a single platform.

See more stories here.

Image credit: Ian MacRae / Midjourney.

Latest guest article by Ian MacRae

Future skills are remote working skills

Remote work is here to stay and the jobs market is gradually shifting to more remote and hybrid jobs. Remote working skills are essential for success as more jobs become less dependent on physical offices. The shift is likely to happen fastest and smaller companies and startups, while larger companies with long-term leases and commitments to working in physical spaces shift more slowly.

How to measure your remote working skills and succeed in 2023

As of 2023, approximately 13% of full-time employees work from home and 28% have a hybrid working arrangement, with at least some of their time spent working remotely. By 2025 the number of full-time remote workers is predicted to rise to 22%. The vast majority of people also prefer flexible working arrangements. When workers are offered flexibility in their work, 87% of them accept it.

Measurement for improvement

Remote work requires a new set of skills that are required for both short- and long-term success. Some workplace skills transfer directly to remote working environments, while others will take some time and practice to master. Measuring and understanding your own skillset is a good place to start: When you know what you’re good at, you can use those skills to your advantage. For example, if you’re a great communicator, you can use to learn from other people more quickly. If you’re organized, you can use that skill to manage your time and workload effectively.

Once you know your strengths, you can also identify areas where you could improve. If you struggle with technical troubleshooting or find it challenging to learn to use tools and technology, developing your technical skills could have a direct impact on your time management and work-life balance (less troubleshooting over the lunch break).

High Potential Psychology offers a free remote working skills self-assessment. It takes about five to ten minutes to complete and comes with a comprehensive report remote working skills, based on responses to a series of targeted questions in six key areas:

Factor 1: Communication

a. Clarity: Crucial for understanding and communicating information, preventing miscommunications. b. Responsiveness: Key to timely task completion, project coordination, and team productivity. c. Proactivity: Enhances problem-solving, decision-making, and collaboration by initiating communication.

Factor 2: Collaboration

b. Teamwork: Essential for goal achievement and a supportive environment. b. Adaptability: Enables adjustment to new situations, communication tools, and team dynamics. c. Problem-Solving: Crucial for managing complex tasks and misunderstandings in virtual spaces.

Factor 3: Time Management

c. Prioritization: Key for managing workload and enhancing productivity. b. Scheduling: Facilitates smooth operations and boosts productivity. c. Work-Life Balance: Maintains mental health, prevents burnout, and enhances job satisfaction.

Factor 4: Self-Motivation

a. Initiative: Valuable in remote settings for task completion without supervision. b. Goal-Setting: Provides direction, boosts motivation, and enhances productivity. c. Perseverance: Maintains productivity and job satisfaction amid remote work challenges.

Factor 5: Technical Skills

a. Digital Proficiency: Vital for efficiency and team contribution. b. Troubleshooting: Minimizes downtime and fosters self-reliance. c. Security Awareness: Prevents data breaches or cyber attacks in remote work.

Factor 6: Working Environment

a. Ergonomics: Improves productivity and prevents work-related health issues. b. Resource Management: Ensures efficient task performance and reduced interruptions. c. Focus and Concentration: Boosts productivity and work quality despite home environment distractions.

The Remote Work Mastery Scale is freely available, with reports generated instantly on completion of the questionnaire.

How to improve your remote w...

The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that Irish inventors Rhona Togher and Eimear O’Carroll are the winners in the ‘SMEs’ category of the European Inventor Award 2023. Selected from over 600 candidates, these inventors created an advanced acoustic material that reduces noise to address chronic sleep issues.

“We are honoured to win the European Inventor Award in the ‘SMEs’ category and would like to express our sincere gratitude to the European Patent Office. This award recognises many years of hard work and commitment to making the world a quieter place. It is a genuine privilege to be acknowledged alongside so many noteworthy inventors who have made such significant contributions to their fields,” say Togher and O’Carroll.

According to the European Environment Agency (EEA) approximately 20% of the EU population lives in areas with unacceptable noise and vibration levels. High noise levels have been linked to poor sleep and higher instances of heart problems. Due to noise pollution, the EEA estimates that 22 million people across Europe currently suffer from chronic high annoyance, whilst 6.5 million suffer chronic high sleep disturbance. Exposure to loud noise can also cause high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep disturbances, and stress.

A sound solution for millions of people

Togher and O’Carroll’s invention, SoundBounce™, is a composite technology that reduces the negative effects of loud noise. It consists of a responsive material housed within a cellular structure that responds to agitation by becoming liquid and absorbing energy. One of its innovative features is the invention’s cellular structure, the second is a thixotropic gel (capable of liquefying when agitated and resolidifying when allowed to stand) placed inside the cells. Once sealed, they work together to dampen sound, reducing noise transmission from one space to another. This new material can also be integrated into machinery and vehicles to reduce noise output. It can be used in the automotive, construction, aerospace and home appliance industries.

This material is particularly effective at low frequencies, which present a significant challenge connected to products with engines, vibrations, and airflow. SoundBounce’s thinner material means that aeroplanes or vehicles using it could be lighter, thus reducing fuel consumption and leaving more space. In addition to the environmental advantages related to noise reduction, the materials used to make SoundBounce have a low environmental impact as they are non-toxic, and recyclable at end of life. Since SoundBounce was created, Togher and O’Carroll’s company has developed partnerships with renowned organisations such as the European Space Agency.

“Receiving this award serves as a reminder of the importance of innovation and the impact it can have on our society. We hope that this recognition will inspire others, especially young girls, to pursue their own inventions and to continue to push the boundaries of what is possible,” say Togher and O’Carroll.

The Irish duo behind the innovation have been named winners in the ‘SMEs’ category for this year’s European Inventor Award, which recognises outstanding inventors with inventions patented in Europe. All the winners of the 2023 edition of the European Inventor Award were announced at a hybrid ceremony in Valencia (Spain).

See more stories here.