Gloomy jobs outlook but redundancies rate easing

THERE is further depressing news for the jobs market with a survey suggesting that up to 13% of employers expect to cut staff levels further before the end of the year.

The latest edition of the quarterly employment outlook survey from recruitment specialist Manpower said there was only one business sector, the pharmaceutical industry, out of 11 measured where the “net employment outlook” for the final quarter of this year was not down. Even then it was only flat.

However, it added that there are signs that redundancy levels have peaked and the rate of deterioration in job numbers may be easing.

“The pace of workforce reductions appears to have peaked in the first three quarters of this year. However, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that the numbers signing on are likely to rise in coming months as employers continue to adjust to align payrolls to the current difficult business climate,” said Manpower Ireland managing director Krissie Davies.

In terms of where the gloom resides, employers in Leinster appear to be the most pessimistic regarding their chances of keeping staff levels unchanged over the course of the last three months of the year.

The year-on-year outlook has improved among Munster-based respondents to the survey. And as a result they remain the least pessimistic on a regional basis.

With regard to business sector confidence, perhaps unsurprisingly, the construction and transport sectors have the gloomiest outlook.

“Employers in all five Irish regions have reported negative hiring intentions for the forthcoming quarter.

“However, quarter-over-quarter comparisons reveal that the net employment outlooks have slightly improved in three of the five regions,” Ms Davies added.

Munster, Connacht and Ulster, although all still relatively downbeat, are the three regions which have slightly improved in their employment outlook since the corresponding period last year.

In all, Ireland ranks as one of the lowest countries on Manpower’s global job prospects survey for the fourth quarter of 2009 – on a par with Mexico, Japan and Spain.