Jobs market gets huge post-Covid bounce

JOB vacancies across Galway and neighbouring counties in the West have continued to grow through the second quarter of this year, according to the findings of a major recruitment company.

The ‘bounce back’ in the economy of the West region is also reflected in the ‘year-on-year’ comparisons with job vacancies continuing to shoot up.

According to the results of the survey – carried out by IrishJobs.ie – there was a 40% increase in vacancies across the Galway region from Quarter 1, 2021 (January, February, March) to Quarter 2 (April, May, June).

The improving jobs situation has been attributed largely to a post-Covid recovery with jobs vacancies in Galway up 126% as compared to this time last year when the pandemic had led to a major lockdown.

Galway’s improving jobs situation has been mirrored in Mayo, Roscommon and Clare. In Mayo, the quarterly rise in jobs’ vacancies was 42%; in Roscommon the gain was 18%; while in Clare there were 26% more vacancies between Quarter 1 and 2.

According to Orla Moran, the positive trend in jobs vacancies across the West – and the rest of Ireland – can be attributed to the growth in working from home; the vaccine roll-out; and the general re-opening of society.

“This resurgence spans the economy. Tourism, travel, and airlines increases in vacancies (+5680% year-on-year); hotel and catering (+1,043%); as well as construction, architecture and property (+146%); have all rebounded as staycations and foreign travel have resumed and builders have returned to sites,” she said.

Read the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now – or you can download a digital copy of the paper from www.connachttribune.ie