Premier Group - Irish employment Monitor - April 2010

“Monitoring the pulse of the Irish professional jobs market”

Job opportunities rise again in April 10

Highlights

• The volume of professional job vacancies in Ireland increased by 9% month-on-month in April 10 and also rose by 18% compared to the same time last year
• The number of professionals beginning their job search decreased by 2% in April 10 compared to March 10, however they increased by 50% compared to April 09

The Premier Group Irish Employment Monitor registered a 9% increase in the number of new professional roles coming onto the market during April 10. Vacancies rose from 4,896 in March 10 to 5,333 in April 10. Compared to the same time last year, this increase from 4,532 illustrates a healthy 18% improvement in the number of new professional job opportunities.

April 10 also saw a 2% decrease in the number of professionals entering the jobs market with numbers falling from 11,790 in March 10 to 11,580 in April 10.  However, compared to the same time last year, there was a significant increase in the volume of professionals who started looking for new career opportunities, rising by 50% from 7,735 in April 09 to 11,580 in April 10.

Brian Murphy, CEO, Premier Group Ireland continued:
“We were pleased to see a modest 9% uptick in the number of professional vacancies coming to the jobs market in Ireland in April 10.  Although slightly lower than February 10, this is the second highest number of jobs available this year and exceeds the volume of new job opportunities at any point last year, showing the continuation of an overall positive trend in the Irish jobs market compared to 09.

“We are finally starting to see the finance jobs market pick up pace with increased demand for qualified accountants.  Particularly hard hit last year, the financial services market is also seeing increased opportunities fuelled by a drive for growth in business banking and insurance as well as a demand for professionals with knowledge of Solvency II and experience in quantitative roles.

“The number of new professionals active in the jobs market fell very slightly by 2% in April 10 compared to March 10 although it increased by a significant 50% compared to April 09 when many professionals were reluctant to enter the very fragile and volatile employment market of that time.”

Chart: New jobs v. new candidates
 

-ENDS-

Notes to editors
Further press information:

Cian Connaughton
MKC Communications
Tel: + 353 87 6480809
Email: cian@mkc.ie

About the Premier Group Irish Employment Monitor

The Premier Group Irish Employment Monitor measures the pulse of the Irish professional jobs market by tracking the number of new job vacancies and new candidates within the Republic of Ireland each month. The first Premier Group Irish Employment Monitor was launched in May 2009 with data from April 2008 onwards.

Statistical methodology

Monthly new jobs and new candidates
Monthly new jobs and new candidate figures are based on Premier Group’s own monthly records of new permanent job vacancies and new candidates registering with the firm for permanent employment. Statistics for the full market are derived using Premier Group’s own market share.

Job classification
Job vacancies are professional level roles within the following sectors and functions; Banking & Financial Services, Commerce & Industry finance, Insurance, Public Practice & Tax, Legal, HR, IT, Life Sciences, Engineering, Process & Manufacturing, Professional Services, Sales & Marketing, Customer Service, Secretarial & Office Support.

Geography
The data is based on new job vacancies and new candidates registered with Premier Group’s network of Irish offices in Cork, Dublin, Kilkenny, Limerick and Waterford.

About Premier Group

Premier Group is Ireland's leading recruitment consultancy with offices in Cork, Dublin, Kilkenny, Limerick, and Waterford. Internationally, the Group operates from 24 offices across eight countries. Subsidiary brands within Premier Group in Ireland include Accreate Executive Search & Interim, Brunel, la crème, Premier, and Verkom. Morgan McKinley and iQ selection also form part of the Premier Group outside of Ireland.

www.premiergroup.ie

Morgan McKinley London Employment Monitor

Premier Group currently publishes a similar monitor in London under its subsidiary brand name, Morgan McKinley. The highly regarded Morgan McKinley London Employment Monitor was launched in 2004 and reports on the new roles, candidates and salaries within the financial services jobs market in London each month. Visit www.morganmckinley.co.uk for details.