There has been a 60pc increase in new professional job vacancies to 8,533 compared with this time last year, according to the April 2011 Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor.
The number of new professional job seekers also dropped significantly (by 45pc) to 6,375 since a year ago.
There hasn’t been much change between March and April of this year in terms of opportunities and job seekers, the former falling by 0.2pc and the latter by 18pc.
Karen O’Flaherty, chief operations officer, Premier Group Ireland, said the month-on-month figures indicated a more cautious approach to business growth and therefore hiring.
“This is likely to be a reaction to negative growth forecasts for Q2, with job creation remaining particularly subdued in the financial services and SME sectors.
“Multinational corporations are still the main drivers of growth in the professional jobs market as demand for Irish exports accelerates,” she noted.
“April 11 saw an 18pc month-on-month decrease in the number of new professional job seekers. This can largely be attributed to reduced momentum in the job market in the second half of the month, when many candidates and decision makers took leave over the Easter period.”
