|
Ireland’s employment outlook is bleak EMPLOYERS in the
west of Ireland have recorded the lowest hiring outlook since 2004.
The negative hiring outlook of -3 per cent for the last quarter of this
year is according to a new survey from Manpower Ireland.
Ireland’s Net Employment Outlook for the last quarter was 5 per
cent, down 6 per cent from the third quarter — the 5 per cent figure
is the lowest national net employment outlook recorded since the second
quarter of 2004.
Nationally, only 12 per cent of Irish employers expect to hire people
during the fourth quarter of the year, down 8 per cent compared with last
year.
Conducted quarterly, the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey measures employers’
intentions to increase or decrease their workforces over the forthcoming
quarter.
Jason Kennedy, managing director of Manpower Ireland, said the survey
results reflected the current mood in the economy.
“While the outlook for the country as a whole is still positive,
we can clearly see that Irish employers have been growing more cautious
in the last number of years,” he said.
“Following many years of significant growth in Ireland it is natural
that the economy would reach a plateau.
“It is, however, reassuring to see that certain industries, such
as finance, insurance, real estate and business, have experienced a resurgence
of confidence, with employers now predicting an 18 per cent increase in
employment, up from a disappointing 2 per cent in 2007.”
He added that with the number of unexpected job losses announced in recent
weeks, as well as the many questions raised about Ireland’s competitiveness,
it was to be expected that industries across the board would be wary about
expansion in the near future.
On a regional basis, employment is expected to be strongest in Munster,
which recorded an employment outlook of 10 per cent for the last quarter.
Munster was the only region which reported an improvement in year-on-year
comparisons. |
