The number of professional job vacancies in December 2016 was down 20% nationally compared to the previous month, according to the December 2016 Morgan McKinley Ireland Employment Monitor.
While there was a 24% month-on-month decrease in the number of professionals registering in the job market, December was one of the most active months for many years within HR and Financial Services.
The Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor (previously known as 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 most active sectors nationally this month were Professional Services, Pharma and Technology / IT. The survey indicates that the market is pushing towards permanent hires representing a more cost effective and better retention option than contract hires.
There is very high demand for candidates with strong experience in highly regulated environments due to ongoing changes to Central Bank and EU regulations. Financial Services experienced its busiest December in many years with employers forecast to continue hiring during the first quarter of 2017. Compliance & Risk skill sets are in constant demand and with ongoing Central Bank & EU Regulations updates through 2017 this will ensure demand for candidates in this area will be high.
Tax accountants are at peak demand. While salaries for these professionals did not increase significantly over the last 12 months, it is expected than an increase will be seen in the region of 5% - 10% as reported in the recent launch of Morgan McKinley’s annual Salary Guide for 2017.
Commenting on the research, Director of Inward Investment at Morgan McKinley Ireland, Trayc Keevans commented, "With most hiring occurring between September and November the decline in vacancies in December 2016 is seasonal and expected but a record level of FDI job announcements in 2016 saw an increased demand for professional services driving recruitment activity particularly among legal, tax and accountancy professionals."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
