FÁS/ESRI EMPLOYMENT AND VACANCIES SURVEY: MARCH 2007
Key findings of the survey for the month of March 2007:
- Economy-wide vacancies increased slightly, with 15% of firms in the private sector reporting vacancies compared to 12% in the previous month;
- The increase in economy-wide vacancies was driven solely by an increase in vacancies in the services sector with the percentage of firms reporting vacancies in this sector increasing by 7 percentage points to 23%;
- Vacancies in the construction sector fell for the second consecutive month with 10% of firms in the sector reporting vacancies compared to 13% in February. The 3-month moving average, however, remained stable at 14%;
- The percentage of firms in the industry and retail sectors reporting vacancies remained stable at 15% and 2% respectively;
- The Net Employment Expectations indicator for all sectors remained positive at 2%, indicating that the percentage of employers anticipating a rise in employment levels in their firms over the coming months is 2 percentage point higher than that expecting a decrease;
- The employment expectations of construction sector employers weakened further with the Net Employment Expectations indicator for the sector falling to -6%. The 3-month moving average, however, continues to improve, increasing by 2 percentage points to -1%;
- Industry sector employers employment expectations improved significantly, with 5% more firms in the sector expecting employment levels to rise rather than fall over the coming months;
- The retail sector experienced a significant deterioration in employer sentiment regarding future employment levels in their sector, while the services sector experienced a further increase in employers’ employment expectations;
- The most frequently reported difficult-to-fill vacancies in each sector were:
Construction: Quantity surveyors and managers
Industry: Engineers, technicians and sales personnel
Retail: Sales staff
Services: Clerical staff, sales personnel and drivers
For further information contact:
Elish Kelly (ESRI) on 01-8632063 or
Philip O’Connell (ESRI) at 01-8632064 or
John McGrath (FÁS), at 01-6077431.
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