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Pension worries, HRLocker raises funds and the cornerstone of the global tech industry – The Irish Times

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Irish workers’ confidence that they will be financially prepared for retirement is falling, according to a new study by State Street Global Advisors (SSGA). Close to half, 46 per cent, say they are not optimistic they will have sufficient money saved to retire, up six points from a similar survey in the heart of the Covid pandemic in December 2020. The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and a lack of spare money to put into a pension are cited as the main reasons for the growing pessimism on retirement income. Dominic Coyle had the details

Clare-based HR software company HRLocker has raised €2 million in funding that will fuel growth in the coming months and allow it to move into new markets. The round was led by MACX3 Investments, Hugh O’Donnell’s investment firm, along with entrepreneurs, family offices and private investors, writes Ciara O’Brien

A travel agent specializing in Middle Eastern and religious tours has gone out of business, forcing some customers to seek compensation from the industry regulator, writes Barry O’Halloran. Manasik Tourswhich operated as Orient Travel, ceased trading on January 10th, the company and consumer watchdog, the Commission for Aviation Regulation, confirmed on Wednesday.

Dublin restaurant Gotham South has closed its doors, the latest hospitality venue to shutdown amid rising costs and the economic downturn.

Cantillon marvels at us continuing economic good fortune and hears an ominous warning from the World Economic Forum.

As big returns go, CES 2023 fared well. The show, which serves as the launch pad for new and innovative consumer technology alongside the essential tech that will be launched throughout the year, was returning to a fully in-person format for the first time since 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic fully hit the US. Ciara O’Brien reports.

You’ve probably never heard of this technology company, writes Chris Horn. But without it, the worldwide technology industry would revert by at least a couple of decades. No other company anywhere can do what it does.

Women make up 40 percent of those living with Parkinson’s disease, yet few, if any, clinicians take the monthly fluctuations in female hormones into account when putting their treatment programs together. This oversight is material, as Richelle Flanagan, co-founder of soon-to-be-launched Parkinson’s management app My Moves Matter, had noticed that her symptoms got worse just before her period. Olive Keogh reports.

“I spent my whole career launching satellites and rockets and, much as I hate to admit it, the important stuff is not those satellites nor those rockets, it’s the data that they provide.” Neil Briscoe meets Clint Crosiera former senior officer in the US space force who now works with Amazon Web Service

Irish audio company OneSonic is back with a new portable speaker, the Megamaus. This miniature speaker will not only project some powerful audio, it will also act as a hands-free device for your calls, or as an external speaker for your streaming movie audio. Ciara O’Brien has a listen.

This week on our Inside Business podcast we got a look at two reports into economic activity in Ireland, one from Enterprise Ireland and the other from Bord Bia. Eoin Burke Kennedy explains what we learned about the performance of homegrown businesses and within the growing food sector. But first, Joe Brennan explains what the arrival of a new insurer, the South African company OUTsurance, into the Irish car insurance market means for the industry and for motorists. Will their presence drive down premiums?