Jobs Index shows increase in advertising
The Bank of Ireland Business Banking Job Index for December shows an increase of 14% in the number of jobs advertised over the same month last year.
The December figures, which are the lowest in the index, due to seasonal factors, represent good news for the economy as several sectors look to be gearing up for a busy year.
The figures also reflect the market experience of Bank of Ireland's business banking activity, which has seen strong lending activity throughout 2003 and which has already a healthy pipeline for 2004.
The Job Index measures job advertisements in the national daily and Sunday newspapers.
In terms of sectoral movements year on year, the sectors that have increased are manufacturing (+140%), financial (+82%), leisure (+68%), IT/tech (+43%), construction (+29%) and retail (+16%).
The sectors that have decreased since this time last year are healthcare (-15%), education (-2%) and professional (-8%).
