A survey from FÁS and the ESRI shows that the number of job vacancies in the private sector increased slightly in March compared with February.
15% of firms reported vacancies, compared with 12% the previous month. The rise was solely due to the services sector, up seven points to 23%.
But vacancies in the construction sector fell for the second month in a row, with only 10% of firms reporting vacancies, down from 13%.
The survey's measure of employment expectations remained positive at 2%. This means the percentage of employers anticipating a rise in employment levels in their firms in the coming months was two points higher than that expecting a drop. But the measure for the construction sector fell further to minus 6%.
Industry and services were positive about future employment growth, but there was a 'significant deterioration' in sentiment in the retail sector.
