The Diarmuid Gillingham Blog

In September 2015, the OECD published an overview of its report on Ireland titled  OECD Economic Surveys: Ireland overview  It suggests  “getting more people back to work is the best way to spread the gains from the recovery….. Some important policy levers for achieving this are: well-designed tax and welfare system; efficient activation policy;….. ”  (OECD 2015: 29)    You have been hired by the Irish government as an Independent Economic Consultant policy levers have been used to assist in achieving the goal of getting people back to work. Introduction As Steve Jobs once said: "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work." Beyond the need to work to receive an income and survive, for many work defines who we are and our ability to be happy. This ability and getting more people back to work is vital. In Ireland like most countries, the government plays a huge role...

Dear Reader,   I have made a discovery, one that makes my world and hopefully yours make a little more sense. That discovery you ask? It was the moment I realised I was a multipotentialite. A mouthful I know, but that just makes it all the more exciting. A multipotentialite is somebody who has a wider range of interest than the average person and I would argue ambitions too.   This journey started about 3 weeks ago when an Irish man named Nicholas Grundy introduced himself to me and invited me to listen to his TEDx Talk.    Which I did and soon I realised it was like looking at my future self. Nick is a professional photography now, he’s fluent in German, he is a speaker and also somehow has fitted in the time to see much of the world. These are all interest we have in common, but he also told me he is an engineer and has done time in the army. Looking at Nick I saw my doppelgänger, not in terms of the interest we have in common but rather the amount of them. I found...

  There is a wonderful saying that says “people come in all shapes and sizes, and they are all beautiful” A statement that we all need to keep in mind when dealing with people and forming views on them, whether we mean to do it or not.  Everybody is misunderstood at some stage. It could be from a parent, spouse, workmate, friend, sibling or mentor. More specifically groups and types of people can be misunderstood, especially in a society that is so picky about what is normal and expected. With this people can be sorted into certain groups and stereotypes. For example, some people may hear a man is gay and expect him to be very flamboyant. While others may see somebody has tattoos and assume their life has no direction. There are endless examples. The misunderstood group I want to discuss are introverts. In a world where everybody is expected to be happy and social 24/7, introverts can be seen as weird, awkward and boring. So as an introvert, I hope this piece clears up many of...