Retailers are gearing up for a bumper Christmas if figures from the Bank of Ireland jobs index are any guide.
The survey of recruitment advertisements in National daily and Sunday newspapers shows that the numbers of retail staff sought in November was 17 per cent ahead of last year at a time when all recruitment advertising was just 1 per cent higher than in November 2003 and 7 per cent ahead of the respective 2002 figure.
The Government emphasis on healthcare is reflected in a 22 per cent increase in recruitment last month on the year-ago period. Bank of Ireland Business banking, which produces the survey, said with the €1 billion allocation to health in the Budget, this positive trend was likely to continue.
However, education positions fell 24 per cent on November 2003 and by 53 per cent on the same month in 2002, underlining the recruitment cutbacks in this sector. The fastest growing area was the professional sector, where the number of positions advertised was 32 per cent ahead. For the first time in five months, recruitment in manufacturing was up on the previous year, growing 8 per cent.
On the downside, the financial services sector recorded its fifth successive monthly decline, down 43 per cent, with posts on offer in leisure and construction also falling by 12 and 11 per cent respectively.
The IT sector reversed its recent recovery with a 53 per cent fall in the jobs advertised compared to November 2003.
Mr Cathal Muckian, director of Bank of Ireland Business Banking said the figures confirmed the upward trend in 2004. "This confirms the confidence in the economy for business and we expect this trend to continue," he said, citing the Budget announced last week by the Minister for Finance, Mr Cowen.
