Employers are confident of upping staff numbers in 2016

9 Dec 2015

If employers across Ireland are to be taken at their word, then the number of jobs coming on stream in 2016 may prove remarkable – especially in the pharmaceutical sector.

A survey of hundreds of Irish employers found that all sectors are expecting to increase staff numbers in 2016, with pharma leading the way.

Manpower’s employment outlook survey questioned 620 employers, revealing that, for the first time in eight years, optimism is high across the board.

Confidence is as high as it was this time last year, with 2015 turning out to be very positive from an employee point of view, so the signs are good.

All employers were asked: “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to March 2016 as compared to the current quarter?”

Pharma jobs in Ireland

And the all round positivity varies from industry to industry. Pharma showed +17pc outlook, with agriculture (+11pc), manufacturing (+12pc) and finance (+7pc) hopeful of strong starts to 2016.

Regionally speaking, Ulster is the province most confident of increased staff numbers, reflecting shifts in policy in Northern Ireland, perhaps.

“The pharmaceutical sector is expected to enjoy the strongest performance as demonstrated by recent job announcements from companies like Pfizer and Regeneron, which will bring a significant boost to the sector,” said Manpower’s Cara O’Leary.

“What’s also interesting is that all provinces are reporting strong hiring intentions for the New Year, demonstrating that economic growth is spreading to all regions of the country.”

Pharma image via Shutterstock

Gordon Hunt
By Gordon Hunt

Gordon Hunt joined Silicon Republic in October 2014 as a journalist. He spends most of his time avoiding conversations about music, appreciating even the least creative pun and rueing the day he panicked when meeting Paul McGrath. His favourite thing on the internet is the ‘Random Article’ link on Wikipedia.

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