Will DoorDash takeover of Deliveroo mean better pay and conditions for gig economy workers?
Earlier this week, US meal delivery group DoorDash agreed a deal to take over its British rival Deliveroo, which has a big presence in Ireland.
The deal is valued at £2.9 billion and will pit the merged group in competition with other online delivery platforms such as Just Eat and Uber Eats.
Callum Cant is an author and senior lecturer from the University of Essex and also worked for Deliveroo while he was in college.
He joined host Ciarán Hancock on the line to discuss the merger and what it might mean for Deliveroo's battalion of gig economy workers and for retailers using the online ordering platform.
READ MORE
Also on this week's Inside Business, the Department of Finance's annual progress report on the Irish economy, a document that informs budgetary strategy and is filed with the European Commission.
This week it brought news of a slowdown in growth, reduced job creation and a significant fall in corporation tax receipts.
Eoin Burke-Kennedy covered the story for The Irish Times and explained the headline numbers in the report and what impact Trump's tariffs will have on Irish economic growth this year.
Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on Ireland's research agenda: the vital role of innovation
It is not surprising that there are demands made, almost on a daily basis, by lobby and special interest groups for the State to increase funding. After all, Ireland has one of the healthiest fiscal surpluses among OECD member states. It is also one of the fastest growing economies, which is putting significant pressure on existing capacity. There is no doubt that almost every call made on the government to increase spending has some justification. But decisions must be made on the basis of what is best for the country in the long term rather than political expediency. The State must, as one key priority, focus on investment that lifts the long-term potential of the economy. In this context, the Government should consider Ibec's calls to increase public investment in research and innovation to 1 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2035. Donald Trump's second term as US president has underlined the growing vulnerability of Ireland's foreign direct investment model. These include moves to try to force pharma companies and other multinationals to relocate capacity to the US. There is also the growing risk of a global trade war, which will accelerate de-globalisation. READ MORE Against this backdrop, every effort must be made to build up the domestic economy. Producing a world class research and innovation infrastructure is an effective way of doing this. Moreover, Trump's attacks on universities are poised to grow, which will lead to a steady brain drain from the US. Increased investment in research and innovation would put Ireland in a much better position to attract some of this talent. Right now, poor funding of the sector here means the goal of attracting key researchers from the US is a nice headline, but one with little substance. Ireland also has work to do to underpin the funding of the third level sector, for both undergraduate and graduate students, which has a key role in underpinning innovation. Education has been vital to the longer-term success of the economy, but there is a sense of complacency about our position which needs to be tackled
Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
Will the new rental reforms work? Many industry observers are sceptical
What's happening to the rules governing renting? A proposed overhaul of rules is going before Cabinet on Tuesday morning. It would see a significant shake-up in the rental market in the months ahead. What are the current rules? Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) were introduced in 2016 to cap rent increases in areas where there was a very high demand for housing and rental homes. Initially, RPZs were confined to large urban centres but, as the housing crisis deepened, more and more areas were designated RPZs. In these locations, as it stands, rent increases cannot be greater than the rate of inflation or 2 per cent – whichever is lower. What are the changes proposed? The Government is planning to keep the caps for existing tenancies, at least to a large degree, while easing restrictions on rent increases for newly built homes. The plan – and it has yet to be agreed – would see the current RPZ annual caps not apply to new buildings constructed after a certain date, with the rents in qualifying properties instead to be tied to inflation. [ Rent controls to be eased for new builds in planned 'pressure zones' reform Opens in new window ] And why would the Government create what looks like a two-tiered rental system? In fairness, there is already a two-tiered system, with some properties in RPZs and some not, so what the Government is considering is a three-tiered system. READ MORE What is the market currently like for rents? Rents are climbing faster than at any point over the past 20 years, with the national monthly average between January and March surpassing €2,000 for the first time, according to a report from That compares to a low of just €765 in 2011. Why are rents climbing so fast? Much of that increase is down to a lack of supply. There were just 2,300 homes available to rent nationally on May 1st, down 14 per cent year-on-year and the third-lowest total for May in 20 years. In a properly functioning market that number should be closer to 10,000. Why is supply such an issue? There are many, many reasons but the author of the report, Trinity College Dublin economist Ronan Lyons, has said changes made to rent controls in 2021 when rent caps were reduced from 4 per cent to 2 per cent 'dramatically reduced the ability of Ireland's rental sector to attract the capital needed for new supply, the ultimate remedy for the shortage'. And this overhaul is aimed at attracting that capital, is that correct? That is the rationale, certainly. The thinking is that if rent restrictions are eased for new apartments, more money will pour into the sector and more apartments will be built, which will ease the pressure on the market as a whole. Will the owners of these new builds be able to charge what they want? They will be able to charge what the market will bear, for sure. However, there is some good news for people who are renting now: under the proposals the existing cap of 2 per cent will remain in place – at least for existing tenancies, but landlords will be able to increase the rent to the market rate between tenancies, something which is not permitted under the current rules. [ Ireland's rising rents: 'Our budget would have been €1,300 a month, there isn't even anything listed for that' Opens in new window ] Surely that will incentivise landlords to evict their current tenants so they can get new ones in and charge them more? That is undoubtedly a fear. Under the proposals going before Cabinet, there will be more protections put in place for renters for a minimum of six years. During that period, there will be restrictions put in place on no-fault evictions. At the end of a six-year period, a landlord will be able to reset the rent to the market rate. Opposition parties have questioned the adequacy of these planned protections. Will the changes work? That is the big, big question. It is undoubtedly in the Government's interests that it does work. Part of the Government's pitch to voters in the run-up to the last general election was that the State had turned a corner on housing and that the supply of new homes would hit 40,000 in 2024. Completions instead fell by 7 per cent to 30,000. Housing commencements, which indicate future supply, have also fallen off a cliff, with housing starts in the first quarter of 2025 eight times down on last year and at their at their lowest level since 2016. The rate of building when it comes to apartments is even worse. What are interested parties saying about the proposals? Many are unconvinced. The housing charity Threshold has welcomed the degree of security it will give to tenants if restrictions on no-fault evictions are imposed for a six-year period. However, it stressed that it could actually push more people into homelessness if the RPZs are diluted. Opposition parties have been lining up to give out about the proposals. Those voices will only get louder between now and next Tuesday when full details are outlined. The initial reaction from landlords and property investors is that there is little in the plans to support them in the short to medium term. Industry sources have also said that the new measures are 'partial ones' and contain levels of uncertainty that may not encourage the envisaged money to come in to the sector.
Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Irish Times
Drivers put a brake on Tesla sales,
Irish drivers have put a brake on buying Tesla electric cars, says The Sunday Times. The company run by billionaire Elon Musk, whose split with US president, Donald Trump, dominated headlines this week, has suffered a 13 per cent drop in Irish sales so far this year. Chinese rival BYD has overtaken Tesla, increasing its sales by 48 per cent, the newspaper reports. 'In Ireland Tesla's year got off to a good start with sale of his cars doubling year on year in early 2025, driven by the arrival of the cheaper Tesla Model 3,' it says. 'But sales plunged by 62 per cent last month.' READ MORE Housing policy chasing developers away Government policy is driving investment in housing to other countries, according to the Sunday Independent. Developers including Claire Solon, managing director of the Irish arm of international player, Greystar, tells the newspaper that the Government needs to tackle 'planning, infrastructure, rent caps and viability'. The company warns that 'problematic policy changes' are pushing housing investment to other countries. Michael O'Flynn, chief executive of O'Flynn Group, says additional taxes on the building industry in the middle of a housing crisis are 'actually holding back the delivery of new homes'. He maintains that the residential zoned land tax has become a development tax. Hotelier's Heathrow runway pitch Billionaire hotelier, Surinder Arora is joining forces with US engineering giant Bechtel, to pitch an alternative third runway plan for London's Heathrow airport , reports The Sunday Telegraph. Mike Kane, Britain's aviation minister, says the country's government is open to alternative bids for the hub's third runway. Mr Arora told the newspaper that his bid could no doubt 'build it cheaper than Heathrow airport Ltd'. The hotels mogul previously led an alternative bid in 2018, saying he could do it one third cheaper than the airport company. Renewables' biogas call Renewables developer Bia Energy says data centres and large energy users should be obliged to use biogas to aid kick-starting the industry here, the Business Post writes. The firm, backed by businessman Eamon Waters, who sold Panda Recycling to Macquarie Infrastructure Fund for €1.2 billion, warns that the Government will not meet its climate plan biogas targets. Bia Energy is calling for a 'renewable heat obligation policy' which legally binds large energy users, such as data centres and pharmaceutical manufacturers, to buy renewable energy. The Republic faces penalties of up to €28 billion by 2030 if it fails to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 51 per cent.
