1/5 of Irish employers to hire

Research shows 1/5 of Irish employers expect to hire during the last six months of this year, with employers in Munster the most optimistic, despite a spate of recent job cuts in the region. Overall, the latest quarter survey on hiring trends from recruitment group Manpower shows that 3% less employers expect to hire compared to the 1st 3 months of this year. The survey found just 2% of Irish employers expect to reduce their workforce, 76% expect no change and 20% expect to hire more. Employers in the pharmaceutical sector were the most reluctant on future hiring needs (7% expect to hire), while in the restaurants and hotel sector employers are the most upbeat ahead of tourism season (26% planning to expand the workforce). Employers in the finance and property sectors are more optimistic on hiring than in the previous quarter (25% compared to 9%), though less employers in wholesale and retail sector (17% compared to 30%) and construction industries (11% compared to 22%) expect to hire, compared to their stated intentions in the previous survey. Employers in Munster have the most optimistic hiring expectations, up 8% from last quarter to 22%. Connaught employers are reluctant to hire though, with only 10% expecting to take on extra staff. In Dublin, 21% of employers will look to take on new staff in the 2nd half of 2007, while in Leinster and Ulster, 17% and 12% plan to hire respectively. Conducted four times a year, the Manpower employment outlook survey interviews over 47,000 employers over 25 countries. The survey, carried out on 665 employers here, showed that Ireland achieved the 2nd highest net employment outlook out of the 13 countries surveyed in the European, Middle East and Africa region. Employers in Singapore, Peru, Argentina, South Africa and India reported the strongest second quarter hiring plans globally. Weakest were in France, Italy, Austria and Belgium.