In Report Professional Jobs New Number Of Fall On Offer, Shows

Fall in number of professional jobs on offer, new report shows — 24% Life A Increase With Rise Mckinley Areas, Staff Stock Science In Demand In Sectors Vacancies For Picture The Some That Reports And Engineering Morgan Did In

Wed, 18 Oct, 2023 - 00:02

Cáit Caden

The number of professional job vacancies has fallen as small and medium-size businesses struggle to compete with multinationals, according to a recruitment firm.

The Morgan McKinley quarterly employment monitor reported a slight decrease of 2% in the number of job openings in the three months to the end of September, compared to the previous quarter, across all professional sectors, as Ireland nears full employment.

However, vacancies did increase in some areas. The life science and engineering sectors experienced a 24% increase in hiring demand.

“Multinational companies benefited from this growth, but it posed challenges for SMEs struggling to compete and maintain competitive compensation levels,” said Trayc Keevans, Morgan McKinley global FDI director.

Morgan McKinley Ireland global FDI director Trayc Keevans says the growth in demand for staff in some sectors 'posed challenges for SMEs struggling to compete and maintain competitive compensation levels'. Picture: MorganMcKinley.com

“Despite layoffs at major tech firms last quarter, the demand for tech talent remains robust,” she said.

“Laid-off professionals are quickly rehired due to sector competitiveness. Cybersecurity roles are in high demand, driven by cyber threats in financial services.”

Sectors including construction grappled with challenges such as the undersupply of new graduates and the chronic skills shortage.

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“Accommodation issues continued to hinder the hiring of overseas talent into Ireland and the retention of young construction professionals in the country, as many sought opportunities in the USA and Canada,” Ms Keevans said.

The number of professional jobs on the market fell to just under 17,000 last month compared to almost 27,000 a year earlier. However, 80,000 people were still seeking jobs, according to the report. This is a fall in annual terms from nearly 93,000, as Ireland nears full employment levels.

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