THERE WAS A four per cent decrease in the number of new professional jobs on the market last month, compared with August 2013.
Against the corresponding figure last year, the drop in vacancies is even greater at 8 per cent.
However, in some better news, in the year to date, there was a 3 per cent increase in jobs coming on to the market compared to the same period last year.
The numbers, published in the Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor, reflect a flat month compared with August, says COO Karen O’Flaherty.
She expects the upward-trend of the end of the month to continue through October.
“The digital space in Ireland is particularly buoyant right now, with many companies seeking marketing professionals with 5-7 years’ experience in analytics, social media and mobile marketing,” she explained. “Hiring managers in this space are looking for high achievers with specific skill sets and are unlikely to hire career changers.
“Our September jobs figures have seen marketing roles outweigh sales roles in terms of new opportunities coming onto the market. Furthermore we are seeing a shift towards these types of positions being permanent contracts rather than fixed term or temporary.”
There is also an increased demand for solicitors with commercial property experience, legal secretaries and office support staff because of the “slight but steady uplift in transactions in the Irish property market”. However, this demand has not spread past the greater Dublin area.
In terms of professional job seekers, the monitor registered a 17 per cent increase in the number of professionals in the market when compared to last month.
“It is usual to record increased activity in terms of job seekers after the summer months and, interestingly, we are seeing a trend of Irish nationals returning from abroad,” continued O’Flaherty.
“Driving this return of experienced professionals are job seekers who moved away at the beginning of the recession and now have young families, making the desire to return home more acute. They are also seeing tangible signs of improvement in the Irish market. We welcome this development as a positive one for Ireland’s economy and future in general.”
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