Drop in number of job vacancies

The number of jobs advertised in the State dropped last month, new figures revealed.

There were fewer vacancies in the services, construction, and retail sector, with jobs across all areas decreasing from 22% to 16%, according to economists.

However, the Economic and Social Research Institute warned overall figures showed no significant drop in the economy.

“In April there was a really large increase in vacancies in the economy so this month is a fall back on that with things returning back to normal,” said researcher Nicola Doyle. “Looking at vacancies over the last year there has been an increasing trend and that trend is still positive.”

The FAS/ERSI Employment and Vacancies Survey found positions in the industrial sector remained stable, with 23% of firms indicating they had jobs. But the percentage of service sector firms reported a significantly drop in vacancies from 31% to 22%.

The survey also revealed employment prospects look stable for the next few months, with bosses anticipating no change in employment levels in the near future.

The most difficult to fill vacancies in each sector in May were: construction - quantity surveyors and site managers; industry – engineers, sales staff and managers; retail – sales staff; and services – chefs and engineers.