Bright outlook for jobs, say employers

THE employment outlook in Ireland for the start of 2004 has improved significantly, according to a new international survey.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey estimates the number of Irish employers who believe they will add to their workforce over the next three months is 3% greater than the number who feel they will reduce staffing levels.

It represents a 7% shift in attitude among employers compared to the previous quarter, when the net outlook was -4%, indicating that a majority of company bosses believed they would experience job losses just three months ago.