JOB MARKET confidence has been shattered this year, according to a survey by Berkley Recruitment Group.
The recruitment sentiment survey, conducted on more than 1,000 people, reveals that almost 75 per cent agree the jobs market is currently weak.
Pessimism about the state of the jobs market has increased from 32 per cent to 55 per cent and optimism has fallen to just 16 per cent.
Concern about job security has risen 75 per cent more than it was a year ago and 51 per cent of respondents believe the recession will prevent them moving into new jobs.
Half of those interviewed have families affected by the credit crunch, with 51 per cent affected by redundancy and 17 per cent by pay cuts.
Most people involved in the survey expect job losses to take place in areas such as construction and manufacturing. More than half do not expect a pay rise this year and almost 10 per cent expect a pay cut.
With economic confidence at rock bottom, more than 80 per cent believe the recession has begun to get worse and will not recover for more than 12 months.A mere 12 per cent say the worst of the recession is over and only 2 per cent believe it is nearly over.
Berkley Recruitment Group director Fergal Brosnan said the survey showed a dramatic decline in job market resilience.
“Over the past year, these surveys have shown a decline in confidence, but the change since the last quarter in 2008 is dramatic.
“While January and February saw declines in jobs and job fulfilment, March has shown a rise in both, with April looking positive to outpace March,” Mr Brosnan said.
“The employment index of 21 categories in Britain and Ireland from a leading online recruitment portal also shows increases in 18 sectors at the end of February following declines for several months in all areas, perhaps an indicator of a bottoming of the market.”
Meanwhile, the National Recruitment Federation (NRF) is calling for a more optimistic approach to the effects of the current economic climate.
The group estimates that about 400 jobs were filled by its member agencies last week.
“The last year and, in particular, the last six months have thrown the industry into an unprecedented freefall. We have of course seen slowdowns before but, as the saying goes, the higher you climb the further you fall,” said federation president Frank Collins.
“Ireland has had it so good for so long and is now in the midst of conflicting arguments as to where to turn. The NRF has put much, though, into how it can help provide some answers to the questions but, most importantly, how to inject a little energy back into our hearts so that we can drive the economy forward.”
The federation will hold its annual conference on April 23rd at Citywest Hotel, Saggart, Co Dublin. The event, Facing the Future with Ease-Education, Enterprise and Enthusiasm,will for the first time be open to any one within the recruitment profession.
