Job figures augur well for recovery in demand

The National Household Survey for the final quarter of 2013, published by the CSO last week, was one of the most upbeat pieces of data on the Irish economy in a long time.

It showed a continuation of the very strong recovery in the labour market, evident since the start of last year. Employment rose for a fifth consecutive quarter.

There was a rise of 61,000 in employment, or 3.3%, compared to the corresponding period of 2012. Nearly 90% of the rise was in full-time employment, which increased by 3.9% on an annual basis. For the year as a whole, the rise in total employment averaged 43,300 over 2012 levels, an increase of 2.4%.