Almost one fifth of firms in the industry sector reported job vacancies last month, a new survey revealed today.
The amount of companies across all sectors with jobs on offer rose to 13 per cent.
The FÁS/ESRI employment and vacancies survey found the number of firms in the industry sector with jobs available rose to 19 per cent, the construction sector increased to 15 per cent, while the retail sector rose to 4 per cent and the services sector was at 16 per cent compared with the previous month.
The rise in the number of jobs on offer was driven by an increase in vacancies in the construction and industrial sectors.
The most frequently reported difficult-to-fill positions in each sector were:
- construction - quantity surveyors;
- industry - managers, sales personnel and technicians;
- retail -sales staff; and services - managers, insurance brokers and accountants.
More bosses are expecting a fall in employment levels over the coming months than those predicting a rise, the survey also found.
And the employment expectations of bosses in the construction sector fell to their lowest level in almost four years.
The services sector was the only industry surveyed which reported positive employment expectations.