Firms increase recruitment adverts

Business Correspondent

The index, published yesterday, shows the number of jobs advertised in the national daily and Sunday newspapers in August was up by 10% on July.

The positive trend confirms the resilience in the labour market as reported recently in the Quarterly Household Survey, which recorded an acceleration in employment growth over the second quarter, with annual job growth rising to 28,400.

The number of jobs advertised in the manufacturing sector is at the highest level since the index began in March 2002, while the numbers in both the construction and leisure sectors are just marginally off their highest point. Comparing all jobs advertised in August with the same month last year, each of these sectors is also showing growth manufacturing +132%, construction +4% and leisure +38%.

Despite evidence of strong growth in some sectors, the total number of jobs advertised last month was down marginally by 5% on August 2002 due to substantial reductions in certain sectors, primarily IT/Tech -41%, financial -54%) and education -28%.

Bank of Ireland Business Banker director Tom Comerford said: "some of the trends in the index are very encouraging."

Bank of Ireland's Dr Dan McLaughlin said there was no sign yet of a rebound in IT recruitment.