Survey reveals private-sector vacancies down
The percentage of private-sector firms reporting vacancies fell significantly last month, a jobs survey has shown.
The employment and vacancies survey carried out by FÁS and the Economic and Social Research Institute found that only 7% of firms reported vacancies in August compared with 19% in July.
The decline was driven by a fall of 20 percentage points in the proportion of service sector firms reporting vacancies and a decrease of four points in the industrial sector.
The survey found that the number of employers in the private sector expecting employment to fall over the coming months was greater than the number who expect it to rise, with the service sector in particular showing a drop in expectations.
Employers in the retail sector also feel that employment levels will decrease rather than increase over the coming months.
