HR
October 2011 saw something on the Irish job market that has not been seen for at least the last 7 months, a month-on-month increase in the number of Professional Job Opportunities.
This equates to an increase of circa 11% in the number of jobs available against last month but more impressively a considerable increase of 34% in the number of opportunities against this time last year. Another interesting fact to come out of this is that there are 9% fewer professionals seeking employment against this time last year turning this into a very candidate driven jobs market.
The above was all the more encouraging given the fact that the previous 6 months had seen consecutive decreases in the number of job opportunities.
A recent Small Firms Association Q3 Jobs Sentiment Survey also referred to increased confidence in the market, with 20% of employers indicating plans to hire permanent staff in the next three months.
From our research we have found that the only sector not feeling too optimistic about increasing headcount in 2012 is financial services. This seems to be down to the ongoing Eurozone debt crisis with many financial institutions not having visibility in the market and a lack of clarity with regards to their recruitment plans for the next 6-12 months. There is some movement however as budgets come to a close for a year and these companies become anxious to secure talent where needed.
So overall, sentiment in the Irish professional Jobs market is positive if still slightly reserved. The increase of 11% on last month is a welcome figure and hopefully this will continue on into December and further into 2012.
Should you like to discuss any of the above please feel free to contact Gareth Fleming, manager with Asset Recruitment, on 01 217 6735.