Rise in number of professional job vacancies

January saw the highest number of professional job vacancies in more than two years, according to new figures released by recruitment firm Morgan McKinley.

The Irish Employment Monitor shows there were 7,250 such jobs advertised last month - up 39% on figures for the previous month.

But the number of professionals entering the jobs market also rose last month - by 23%.

The firm also noted that the rebound, although positive, was from a particularly low December 2010 volume caused by disruptive weather events, the Government’s EU/IMF bail-out announcement in late November and other seasonal factors.

"Economic indicators and anecdotal evidence from employers do however point towards a more positive start to the year for the professional jobs market," said Karen O'Flaherty, Chief Operations Officer, Premier Group Ireland.

"Job creation is firmly on the agenda in the lead up to the General Election and the feeling is that there is greater visibility with regard to potential hiring plans across H1 2011 in certain pockets of the professional jobs market than there was at the start of 2010."