Drop in number of jobs advertised

THE number of jobs advertised in the Irish national press dropped by 2% in the first three months of this year.

According to the latest Bank of Ireland Business Banking Job Index, just over 55,000 positions were advertised in newspapers between January and March, down 2% over the same period last year.

The bank said the decline was mainly due to the fall in March this year compared to 2004.

“Recruitment has remained steady over the first three months of the year indicating confidence amongst Irish businesses,” BoI director Cathal Muckian said.