Demand for labour in the manufacturing sector was 43% higher in the first quarter of this year than the last quarter of 2005, according to the latest Bank of Ireland Business Banking Job Index.

The outlook for jobs in the European technology sector is very positive with almost 60% of firms expecting to increase recruitment over the next 12 months, according to the annual IT confidence survey by Eurocom Worldwide.

The view that IT manufacturing jobs in traditional Western economies including Ireland are under threat from lower cost regions such as China is reinforced by a new international survey by Eurocom Worldwide in association with its Irish partner Simpson FT PR.

Ireland tops the list of countries perceived by European technology executives to have the most potential to be the Silicon Valley/Technology capital of Europe according to a new survey.