Survey shows few firms plan to take on staff in the next quarter

According to a survey by Manpower there has been a decline in the proportion of employers who expect to increase their staff numbers.

For the next three months only 12% of firms expect to hire extra staff, down from a figure of 23% for the past three months.

Around 16% of firms say that they are likely to see a decrease in the number of staff.

Firms in Dublin appear to be slightly more optimistic than those in the regions.