National Survey of Vacancies in the Private Non-Agricultural Sector 2001/2002: A Study for the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs by the Economic and Social Research Institute

December 1, 2002
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This report is based on a nationally representative sample of private sector firms. It was jointly commissioned by Forfas and FAS for the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs with a view to assessing the incidence, level, nature and consequences of vacancies in Ireland today. Of particular interest is an examination of vacancies which businesses feel are difficult-to-fill. The information was collected in postal surveys with intensive phone follow up. In addition to details on the level and structure of employment, the report provides information on vacancy rates and where vacancies occur both by sector and occupational group within sector. The impact and consequences of vacancies (and especially difficult-to-fill vacancies) are considered in detail. Issues related to the retention of existing staff within business are also addressed. The report is divided into nine chapters. In Chapter 2 we discuss survey design, questionnaire structure, response rates and re-weighting of the data. In Chapter 3 we discuss the size and structure of the current labour force in terms of sectoral distributions and grade within sector. Chapter 4 addresses the core issue of the incidence, level, nature and consequences of current vacancies. Chapter 5 examines vacancies which were experienced in the previous year. Chapter 6 focuses on difficulties experienced by firms in retaining staff. Chapter 7 provides information at regional level on the incidence, level, nature and consequences of vacancies. Chapter 8 considers some aspects of training and its relationship with the experience of vacancies in the firm. Finally, Chapter 9 provides a general overview and summary of our main findings.