Rise In Construction And IT Jobs Market

A continued recovery in the construction sector in 2014 was evident with a jump in the number of vacancies notified through Jobs Ireland, the government's jobs portal, according to a report published by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs.

Growth was particularly evident for electricians, plumbers and carpenters after years of low activity. The increase was in line with an overall growth of 8% in the number of vacancies being notified to Jobs Ireland and 12% to IrishJobs.ie in 2014.

For some jobs, such as care workers and sales assistants/reps, vacancies are occurring regularly as employers struggle to retain staff, whether due to low pay, poor working conditions, rural locations or other factors. For the construction sector, however, employment figures produced by the CSO, show above average growth occurring for the skilled trade.

Demand for people with IT skills is continuing unabated, with an increasing number of employment permits being issued each year to alleviate the shortfall experienced by employers in recruiting experienced and qualified IT staff. This is also reflected in the rise in the number of vacancies occurring in this field and the continued difficulty experienced by recruitment agencies to fill some of these positions.

Damien English TD, Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation said: "The trends shown in today's report strongly mirror the economic recovery that we are experiencing. It is essential that we continue to monitor where vacancies are arising, so that these valuable insights can inform jobseekers, our guidance and education and training sectors on where the jobs of today and the future arise. The demand for IT skills is something I note in particular. I am keen to see all levels of our education system respond proactively to address this evident skills need."

(CD)