FÁS/ESRI EMPLOYMENT AND VACANCIES SURVEY: April 2006

May 11, 2006

News

11/05/2006

 

FÁS/ESRI EMPLOYMENT AND VACANCIES SURVEY: April 2006

Embargo: 1:00 a.m. Thursday 11 May 2006 Key findings of the survey for the month of April 2006:

 

 

  • The percentage of firms reporting vacancies across all sectors increased by a significant 10 percentage points to reach 22 per cent;
  • The increase in economy wide vacancies was driven by a significant increase in vacancies in the services sector and moderate increases in vacancies within the construction and industrial sectors;
  • The percentage of service sector firms reporting vacancies rose by 16 percentage points to reach 31 per cent, its highest level since May 2002;
  • The percentage of retail firms with vacancies fell by 6 percentage points to 2 per cent;
  • Employers’ expectations regarding future employment in the private sector were at their most optimistic level since May 2002;
  • The improvement in employer sentiment was driven by the services, construction and industrial sectors;
  • The industrial sector experienced the most notable improvement in employer sentiment as its Net Employment Expectations indicator rose from minus 3 per cent to 9 per cent;
  • The employment expectations of construction employers reached their most optimistic level for the entire survey period;
  • Employers in the services sector also became more optimistic about future employment levels in their firms;
  • The retail sector experienced a fall in its Net Employment Expectations indicator and employers are currently pessimistic about future employment levels in the sector;
  • The most frequently reported difficult-to-fill vacancies in each sector were:
    • Construction: Quantity surveyors and foremen
    • Industry: Engineers, sales staff and managers
    • Retail: Sales staff
    • Services: Accountants and sales staff.