The level of job vacancies continued to fall in the first quarter of the year according to the latest ‘Jobs Index’ from hiring platform IrishJobs.
Vacancies were down by 3% compared to the previous quarter and declined by 28% on a year-on-year basis.
The quarterly drop was the lowest fall in six successive quarters which IrishJobs said points to a steadier rate of vacancy generation over 2024.
Vacancies in the tech sector were down by 8% compared to the previous three months but the industry remains one of the largest employers in the market, accounting for 5.5% of all new jobs advertised in the quarter.
A number of sectors recorded increases in levels of vacancies including education, construction, social care and engineering.
IrishJobs said that the increase in demand for workers in construction comes as the Irish economy seeks to meet its ambitious housing targets.
Quantity surveyors were the most in-demand role in the sector over the quarter.
In education, the increase in vacancies was driven by hiring demand across third-level institutions, including UCD, Munster Technological University, and South East Technological University, for a range of roles.
The ongoing recruitment needs of the childcare sector are also reflected in the increase in education roles.
In a continued downward trend over the previous two quarters, remote/working-from-home vacancies fell by 10% in the first three months of the year.
“Against this backdrop of continuing growth, the Q1 index suggests a favourable outlook in the jobs market across a broad range of sectors over the coming months, with the lowest [quarter-on-quarter] decrease in job vacancies over the past six quarters,” said Sam Dooley, country director of Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for IrishJobs.
“We can expect to see a more settled jobs market over the months ahead and steady rates of vacancy generation amid falling levels of inflation and moderate levels of growth,” Mr Dooley said.