A report on the Irish economy's competitiveness has described its performance this year as mixed.
The National Competitiveness Council has published its annual scorecard, which measures Ireland against other countries in 127 different categories.
The NCC said improvements in productivity and reduction in firms' costs had led to a fall in unit labour costs. But it warned that high public debt, falling investment and shortages of credit all weakened Ireland's position. The advisory body also said that Ireland remained an expensive country in which to do business.
The NCC said that the proportion of the working age population with third-level education has risen, but Irish 15-year-old students performed poorly in terms of scientific, mathematical and reading literacy.
The council highlighted some areas of concern, including the general costs of doing business. It said high cost areas included property, costs from landlines and legal fees.
It said productivity levels remained below the OECD average, though they had improved in recent years. The NCC also said taxes on labour had been increasing.
On education, the report said primary school students aged 9-11 received fewer hours of teaching in maths and science than in other OECD countries, while there was a 'persistence' of early school leavers at secondary level.
On infrastructure, the NCC said Ireland lags other countries in telecoms, particularly broadband speeds, while the quality of energy infrastructure was also seen as weak.
