Employers in Galway have optimistic outlook on jobs

Employers in Connacht are more optimistic now about hiring more staff than at any time in past seven years.

A new employment outlook survey reveals that employers in the West of Ireland are the most optimistic in the country when it comes to hiring intentions between now and Christmas.

The survey, by Manpower, shows that employers in Galway and the West “anticipate the strongest hiring climate since 2007”.

The positive outlook relates to the months October, November and December.

Sentiment among employers in Connacht for the upcoming quarter is +6% compared with the previous quarter.

When hiring intentions among businesses in the province is measured year-on-year, the feeling is even more optimistic with a 15% net employment outlook.

Three of the other four regions had negative employment outlooks including Leinster (-11%), Munster (-2%) and Ulster (-1%). Dublin is the only other region with a positive outlook, at +1%.

The survey was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 620 Irish employers. It was released this week.

All survey participants were asked, “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of December 2014 as compared to the current quarter?”

The overall net employment outlook is calculated by taking the percentage of employers anticipating total employment to increase and subtracting from this the percentage expecting to see a decrease in employment at their location in the next quarter.

This figure is then amended according to any seasonal variations in recruitment patterns as witnessed since the survey began in Ireland in 2002.