SCIENCE, accountancy, sales, information technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical services are the areas the long-term unemployed should be considering if they are serious about retraining, according to a panel of recruitment and academic experts.

NINE recruitment firms have gone out of business since the start of the year as the sector has taken a “hard hit”.

SALARY demands in banking and construction softened this year in response to the slowdown in the construction sector and the uncertainty in international financial markets.

A CORK-BASED recruitment firm announced a 100-job expansion yesterday the day after two Munster firms axed 360 jobs.