The latest figures from Morgan McKinley’s monthly Irish Employment Monitor show a decrease in job opportunities in March compared to the previous month, but overall the number of job vacancies in 2013 is gradually increasing.
From February to March there was a decrease of 12pc in the number of new professional job vacancies in Ireland to 8,125. Year-on-year, the figure is the same with a 12pc decrease compared to March 2012.
But, looking at the quarterly figures, Irish professional job opportunities are up by 14pc in the first quarter of 2013 to 27,032, compared to the previous quarter. Year-on-year the increase is marginal, however, at 0.04pc.
Modest improvement
“Although job opportunities fell in the month of March 2013, looking at the wider picture, a 14pc increase in professional job availability in Q1 2013 compared to Q4 2012 suggests that the hiring market is gradually improving,” said Karen O’Flaherty, chief operations officer at Morgan McKinley.
“Sentiment amongst employers has improved in Q1 of this year compared to Q1 2012 and, though we expect that confidence to continue, it is likely that any rise in job numbers will be modest and hiring forecasts are still likely to be relatively short-term,” she added.
Professional job opportunities in Ireland. Source: Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor
O’Flaherty also noted that demand for marketing and social media professionals remains consistently high. “This reflects the growth of the online and e-commerce industry in Ireland and the need for indigenous companies to develop their online profiles and engage with their respective target markets,” she said.
Fewer immigrants entering Irish jobs market
The number of professionals seeking work fell by 3pc from February to March 2013 to 9,500. Year-on-year, this number has dropped by 22pc.
“In terms of the number of professional job seekers entering the market, the decrease of 22pc compared to March 2012 is partially due to fewer professional immigrants entering the Irish jobs market, resulting in candidate shortages in niche areas such as multilingual job roles as we have highlighted previously,” O’Flaherty explained.
Professional job seekers in Ireland. Source: Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor
