Almost half of those surveyed by jobs site Indeed last month said they were not actively searching for a job ‘right now’.
Caring responsibilities and caution around Covid-19 are the main reasons behind the fall in jobseekers urgently looking for work, according to jobs website Indeed.
Indeed’s latest job search survey found that only 7pc of 1,500 people surveyed in Ireland last month were looking for a new job urgently.
Nearly half (46pc) of respondents were not searching for a new job right now, while 29pc were not actively looking but were open to opportunities.
Of the 25pc actively looking for a job, 7pc said they were urgently looking. But 18pc said the search was not urgent, despite the fact employers are actively seeking new talent.
Jack Kennedy, economist at Indeed, said there was several factors holding Irish people back from looking for a new job at present.
“Family and household responsibilities appear to be an issue, and are a reminder that the barriers to labour market participation posed by access to childcare and caring responsibilities prior to the pandemic are still with us,” he said.
About 27pc of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) said childcare and other caring responsibilities was the reason they were not urgently looking for work, while 23pc said they expect to eventually return to their jobs once restrictions lift.
For those without a job but not receiving PUP, 17.9pc cited caring roles as barriers preventing them from urgently looking for work, with Covid-19 safety concerns a close second at 17.6pc.
“Lingering health concerns look to be another factor in deterring job search, with some preferring to wait until they, their household, or more of their would-be colleagues are vaccinated against Covid-19,” Kennedy added.
“It also seems people feel they’re likely to have better job options if they wait a bit longer. So while search activity may begin to pick up in the autumn, there’s little sense of urgency among would-be jobseekers right now.”
Some people (10pc) said they would start looking for jobs again when more people they would be working with are fully vaccinated, while 8pc said they were waiting for their household members to be fully vaccinated to begin their search.
Other reasons for non-urgency included holiday time, with 20pc saying they wanted to have taken a holiday before looking for work, and 11pc saying they would look when the new school year has started.
According to the most recent CSO (Central Statistics Office) data, monthly unemployment fell to 13.5pc in July, down from 19.1pc in July 2020.
