‘Signs of recovery lure emigrants back’

There has been a rise in the number of emigrants returning to seek jobs in Ireland as the first tangible signs of recovery emerge.

There has been a 3% rise in the number of job vacancies to date this year, even as figures for September show there has been a slight fall in jobs available compared to last year.

Karen O’Flaherty, chief operations officer with Morgan McKinley, said they had seen a rise in the number of people returning to Ireland.

“We are seeing a trend of Irish nationals returning from abroad,” said Ms O’Flaherty. “Driving this return of experienced professionals are job seekers who moved away at the beginning of the recession and now have young families, making the desire to return home more acute. They are also seeing tangible signs of improvement in the Irish market. We welcome this development as a positive one for Ireland’s economy and future in general.”

There has been a 3% raise in the total number of job vacancies to date this year, even as September data shows there has been a slight fall in jobs available compared to last year.

The Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor found that from Jan 2013 to Sept 2013, there was a 3% rise in jobs coming on to the market compared to the same period last year.

However, the jobs market appears to be softening, with 8% fewer new professional job vacancies available now than at the same time last year. September was particularly weak, with a 4% fall in professional jobs.

“The month-on-month decrease of 4% in the professional jobs market in Ireland overall reflects a flat month compared with August,” said Ms O’Flaherty. “The latter half of the month showed a significant upswing in jobs available and we would expect to see this trend continue.”

There has also been a shift towards permanent position in the new jobs that are coming on the market.

“The digital space in Ireland is particularly buoyant right now, with many companies seeking marketing professionals with five to seven years’ experience in analytics, social media and mobile marketing,” said Ms O’Flaherty.