There was some good news last night as, ahead of conciliation talks at the WRC today, the Department of Health announced that the special scheme of paid leave, for employees suffering from long-COVID, has been temporarily extended for three months. Fórsa's response to the announcement was picked up in the Indo, Irish Times, the Journal, Irish Examiner and by RTÉ.

Elsewhere, the CWU has agreed separate pay deals at An Post and telecoms company Eir, and SIPTU has welcomed the Government's decision to increase the mandatory retirement age for both retained and full-time firefighters to 62, while Almost 80% of public transport ­workers report that illegal drug use by passengers on bus, rail and Luas lines has worsened in the last 12 months. 

A couple of interlinking stories in the news this week sees the professional jobs market tightening "significantly" over the first three months of the year, with the numbers both of openings and of jobseekers falling - by almost a third - on the same period last year. The Morgan McKinley report also suggests that accommodation shortages is still hindering international recruitment into Ireland. 

Which brings us back to housing, and how the current crisis is having an effect on the wellbeing of young people. An Ipsos survey on behalf of the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), found a third of respondents, aged 18 to 30, rarely or never feel optimistic about their future. Asked what the biggest social or political challenges facing Ireland were, 67% mentioned housing.

On the Government's efforts to entice Irish construction workers home in order to meet housing targets, Patricia Morrison, a project manager working in the UK, says the campaign is a “complete and utter waste of money” as she considers commuting to London for work if she moves back home. Moving back would mean contending with a dearth of rental properties in her native Co Mayo, a lack of local work opportunities and nine-month waiting list for a creche space for her kids. 

Zen

Your Zen moment today draws from the continuing development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its potential impact on the creative industries. A long time ago I was working with a former cast member of Eastenders who told me they had to ban its scriptwriters from having a character enter a room and ask "Wosgoin' on?" and have another character explain the current plot line.

I haven't watched the show for a while, but the last time I did it became obvious that the ban has since been lifted, so there was quite a bit of "Wosgoin' on?" in every scene. The question, then, is how the machines might process this challenge if, as it seems to be anticipated, entire television series could be made by generative AI within three to five years.

Predicting the future is a tricky business, but I'll wager that some AI-scripted characters will inevitably utter, as they depart the kitchen / café / launderette / Queen Vic (or McCoy's): "I'll be back." 

Have a lovely day.

Niall