THE NUMBER OF new professional job opportunities increased by 18 per cent in the first quarter of this year in comparison to the same period of 2011, according to new figures.

The latest Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor reported positive movements in the hiring market so far this year, noting that the average pace of the recruitment process was quicker.

“The increasing number of professional jobs available in March 12 illustrates that the hiring market continues to improve on the same time last year,” said Karen O’Flaherty, Chief Operations Officer at Morgan McKinley.

The report showed a month-on-month increase of 9 per cent in the number of professional jobs coming onto the market in March, and an increase of 8 per cent in the number of professional opportunities when compared with March 2011.

Demand for project and fixed term contracts

O’Flaherty said that the increased confidence in the recruitment market is tempered by evidence of short term business forecasting, demonstrated by “a rise in demand for professionals to fill project and fixed term contracts versus permanent hires.”

The new hires are averaging a contract duration of 12-24 months and are primarily in the accounting and financial services sectors – however, demand for IT professionals and those with multilingual skills remains consistent across all sectors.

O’Flaherty said that redundancy announcements in Q1 12 were broadly offset by the number of job creation announcements – notably at HCL, Sogeti Ireland and Blackrock Incorporated.

She said increased hiring activity was expected throughout Q2 and the remainder of the year – but noted that ongoing economic uncertainty meant that predictions could change.

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