A report out this morning says that as the Irish jobs market improves there is a higher demand for skilled labour, but there is what it calls a "talent mismatch" in high-skilled industries. That has been identified as a key problem for Ireland, adding to wage pressures.
Recruiter Hays - in its Global Skills Index - recommends closer ties between business and education institutions, and targeted skilled immigration. The annual index assesses the dynamics of skilled labour markets across 31 countries. Ireland's overall score has increased to 5.8 out of 10 in 2014, up from 5.5 last year. It also noted an increasingly secure economic recovery for Ireland, with expected growth of 2.8% for 2014. The scores are based on seven indicators like education flexibility; labour market participation and flexibility; and wage pressure.
Richard Eardley, Managing Director of Hays Ireland, says that as well as the much documented skills gap in the IT sector, gaps are also emerging in the likes of the construction industry and engineering. In order to address this issue, Mr Eardley says that the Government should look at 'best practice' in immigration policies worldwide. These policies include a situation where if a person meets the criteria for a job they get a visa, rather than tying the visa to the job and not the person as happens in Ireland. According to Mr Eardley, employers here can do two things - they can amplify the message that Ireland is a hub for a talented workforce, while they should also take a more flexible approach when hiring staff. "Employers need to start hiring for potential," he stated.
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MORNING BRIEFS - Business services firm Softco is creating 50 new jobs. Headquartered in Dublin, SoftCo has offices in the UK, the US and Finland.
*** Another problem for Apple and its new iphone - a software update, designed to fix a bug in its health app left some customers who downloaded it without access to their mobile networks. Many said they lost cellular coverage and could no longer use the iphone's Touch ID fingerprint reader after installing the iOS 8 update. This update was briefly released yesterday before Apple withdrew it in response to complaints. The phone has not yet been released in Ireland, but it will be shortly. The new problem comes after other iphone users complained that the new, bigger iphone, is bendy. A number of early iPhone 6 Plus customers said smartphone was bending in their pockets. Apple's shares, which were already trading lower yesterday after the complaints about bent devices, dropped further as news of the botched update emerged.
