Positive outlook for NI jobs, says Manpower

Employers in Northern Ireland look set to continue hiring more staff over the next three months albeit at a slower rate, according to research released today by Manpower, the UK's leading workforce management company.

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey shows that the balance of employers in Northern Ireland taking on more staff is +15%, compared to a UK average of +12%. This represents a nine percentage point decrease over the last quarter and a three percentage point decrease over the same point last year.

Eleanor McAllister, business manager at Manpower in Northern Ireland, said: "It's great news employers' hiring confidence is remaining strong. In the past few years the unemployment rate has dropped significantly, and it's good to see that job creation looks set to continue.

"It's very much an employees' market, with more job vacancies than job seekers, meaning candidates can be choosy about which roles they take on. Employers are increasingly finding they need to review their pay and benefits packages in order to attract the best quality candidates."

The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey provides a forecast of employer hiring intentions for the quarter ahead: July to September 2005.

Around 2,100 UK employers were surveyed in the UK and over 45,000 employers in 23 countries globally in the latest survey.

(MB)