SENIOR IRISH EXECUTIVES are optimistic about their career prospects despite the recession.

The results by Amárach Research on behalf of MERC Partners reveals that 79 per cent believe  their career prospects in the past year have either improved or stayed the same.

Those working in the pharmaceutical or life sciences and technology sectors were the most positive, while those in the construction/engineering and retail/tourism sectors were the most pessimistic.

The 2012 survey shows an even more positive outlook than 2011, when 71 per cent believed their career prospects had improved or stayed the same.

Despite the collective optimism, there was a significant gap between senior executives’ wishes on their age of retirement with 41 per cent of respondents saying they would like to retire before the age of 60, while 86 per cent felt that they would retire after 60.  Only 22 per cent wished to retire after age 66 while 46 per cent actually believe that they will not retire until after that age. Just 37 per cent of respondents were confident they would have an adequate income after retirement.

When the study asked the 300-plus executives about their current attitude compared to three years ago, 61 per cent of respondents were more open to switching jobs internally within their organisation, while 71 per cent were more open to switching externally to another company.

Kieran Duff, Partner with MERC Partners said: “This research suggests a confidence and resilience among many senior Irish executives even in the middle of a tough recession.  Despite the difficult economic climate, it is encouraging to see that senior executives are open to taking on new career challenges.”

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