Confidence sees employers make plans to recruit

Irish employers are expecting to increase staffing levels across most industry sectors during the second quarter of 2016.

And employers in Connacht report the strongest hiring intentions of all, with an outlook of 9% – up from zero on the same period last year.

That’s according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released this week by ManpowerGroup Ireland, a leader in contingent and permanent innovative workforce solutions.

The figures show that employers are reporting a seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook of +5% for April to June 2016, maintaining the cautiously optimistic forecast previously reported for the first quarter of the year.

The survey also shows that staffing levels across ten of the eleven sectors surveyed are reporting growth for Q2 2016.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey found that restaurant and hotel employers are forecasting the strongest year on year growth out all of the eleven sectors evaluated, up 28 percent on the same period last year to register an Employment Outlook of +12%.

Construction sector employers reported a +9% Net Employment Outlook for Q2, a two percent increase on the same period last year and a six percent increase on the previous quarter.

But Agriculture, forestry and fishing employers report a Net Employment Outlook of down one percent for the second quarter of 2016, the only negative industry sector forecast for the period. However, hiring intentions have improved by four percent compared to this time last year.

Wholesale and Retail employers report a Net Employment Outlook of + 4% for the second quarter of 2016, down four percent on the same period last year.

And the finance and business services sector forecast, which steadily increased throughout 2015, is expected to return to growth after a reduced forecast at the beginning of 2016.

Employers report an outlook of +8% for Q2, an increase of four percent on the same period last year and up one percent on Q1 2016.