As the CSO reveals Ireland’s lowest employment figure since 2003, Morgan McKinley reports the number of professional job-seekers is on the rise, but available positions are declining.
The Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor for May 2012 shows a second consecutive monthly decrease in the number of professional jobs available. The results for May show that new professional jobs coming to the market decreased by 12pc from April’s figure, representing a 5pc decline from the same time last year.
As the posts decline, the numbers seeking professional positions is going up, as May saw 22pc more professionals entering the jobs market than in April, which is 39pc more than in May 2011.
Employment at its lowest since 2003
This comes on the back of figures from the Central Statistics Office showing that the number of people at work in Ireland is at its lowest since 2003. The continuing downward trend for employment figures reflects staff reductions in various sectors, leaving Ireland with a working population of 1.79m.
Figures from the first quarter of this year show that 309,000 people are out of work, setting unemployment at 14.8pc, while long-term unemployment has increased from 7.8pc in 2012 to 8.9pc in early 2012.
Karen O’Flaherty, chief operations officer at Morgan McKinley, believes the recent ratification of the EU Stability Treaty is good news for job-seekers, as this may encourage further investment in Ireland from foreign enterprise.
