Jobs vacancies grew 3% in the fourth quarter of 2017 compared to the same period last year, according to a new IrishJobs.ie jobs index.
The report shows that the hotel and catering sector produced the largest share of jobs vacancies in that period (24%). Ireland's hospitality industry remains one
of the country's strongest. Last year was the best year on record for Irish tourism.
Ireland's high-value tech/IT sector generated 7% of all jobs vacancies in the final quarter of last year. The construction sector generated 6% of jobs vacancies (an 8% increase), encouraged by an increasing demand for commercial and residential property.
Some industries that contracted in 2016 recorded positive growth in jobs vacancies in 2017, including science, pharmaceutical and food, customer service, and HR and recruitment.
However, some sectors that saw a decrease in jobs vacancies in 2016 continued their decline in 2017, in particular education, childcare and training and marketing.
Orla Moran, General Manager at IrishJobs.ie, said, "Economically, Ireland is in a strong position, and the IrishJobs.ie Q4 2017 jobs index reflects this robustness. Maintaining a momentum evident throughout 2017 and 2016, overall jobs vacancies increased by 3% in Q4 on the same period in the previous year.
"Job creation is of course a positive thing, but a high rate of vacancies combined with a low supply of skilled workers will become a problem if not addressed quickly," she said. "This may become especially challenging in rapidly growing regions, like Limerick and Cork, where new investment in certain sectors, like tech and engineering, could outpace the availability of an appropriately qualified workforce. Industry and government must continue to prioritise modern education and training programmes to ensure that Ireland can keep up with its own growth."
