Job vacancies buck August trend

The traditional slowdown in job recruitment usually seen in August didn’t materialise in the professional sector this year, as vacancies increased to record summer levels.

According to the Morgan McKinley Monthly Employment Monitor, there was a 19% increase in vacancies in August this year compared to the same month in 2013, while a month-on-month increase of 4% was also recorded.

The number of professionals seeking jobs in August rose 9% compared to the previous year but fell, predictably, from the level seen in July.

Crucially, according to Morgan McKinley Ireland chief operations officer, Karen O’Flaherty, permanent roles rather than contract positions are driving the improved environment.

“As July was itself a strong month for recruitment, the unprecedented increase in job vacancies for August is proof of a robust and strengthening professional jobs market.”

The jobs are also situated in new divisions as companies expand. “These growth plans by firms across all sectors hint at increased confidence in business growth for 2014 and into 2015,” said Ms O’Flaherty. These new positions are also having a knock-on effect, with support and back-office staff increasingly in demand.

Some firms, however, are struggling to fill positions, as salary expectations vary significantly between employers and job seekers in certain sectors, such as engineering.

Meanwhile, a separate employment survey released yesterday by recruitment solutions firm Manpower, indicated an uncertain close to the year for jobseekers, with many employers preferring to wait for expected economic improvements to come to fruition before increasing staffing levels.

The survey showed muted hiring activity was expected, with the net employment outlook indicator slipping by 2% for the final quarter of the year.

Represented in this figure are plans by 5% of companies to increase their workforce, while 8% anticipate reducing staff by year end.

Manufacturing sector employers expect the strongest jobs growth of the 11 sectors surveyed, reporting an outlook of +6%, representing a 17-point increase on the previous year.

Mining and quarrying employers are the least optimistic, followed by construction sector firms, despite recent positive signs.