FÁS/ESRI Employment and Vacancies Survey: Fourth Quarter 2004
12/03/2005
FÁS/ESRI Employment and Vacancies Survey: Fourth Quarter 2004
Report prepared by Gerry Hughes (ESRI)
Embargo: Saturday 12 March 2005, at 00:01 am
The FÁS/ESRI quarterly employment and vacancies report, prepared by the ESRI, is based on monthly surveys of private sector employers’ experience of employment trends, their views on employment prospects in the short term, whether they have any vacancies and if they are finding it difficult-to-fill vacancies. The report provides indicators of employer sentiment on the outlook for employment and of employers’ demand for labour.
Key findings of the report for the fourth quarter of 2004:
- Overall employment in the private sector is expected to remain stable over the next few months;
- The percentage of private sector firms reporting vacancies reached its lowest level since July 2003 with about 6 per cent of firms reporting vacancies at the end of the fourth quarter;
- The percentage of firms in construction reporting vacancies increased during the fourth quarter:
- Firms reporting vacancies in the industry sector fell from around 20 per cent at the end of the third quarter to around 15 per cent at the end of the fourth quarter;
- The percentage of retail sector firms reporting vacancies fell to its lowest level since July 2004 with only about 1 per cent of retail firms reporting vacancies at the end of the fourth quarter;
- The services sector experienced a significant improvement in employer expectations regarding future employment levels towards the end of the fourth quarter with employers feeling more optimistic about future employment levels in their firms;